InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Charade ❯ Sacrifice ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Charade

Chapter Six: SACRIFICE

The door to Naraku's office blew open with a loud bang. He looked up from the codes he was writing in amusement. Only Kagura will blow open a door without knocking…

"Naraku!" The Wind Witch stormed into his office, her crimson eyes snapping. "What is the meaning of this? You told me InuYasha was dead."

"Well, I assumed he was," answered Naraku calmly, "seeing as I sent a competent demon to finish him off. It looks as if the attempt failed."

"I'll say it did," she snarled, slapping her fan against her thigh with angry whacks. "That bastard nearly killed me-he had some miko with him that cut a path through my wind."

"A miko, you say?" Naraku's thin eyebrows rose. "Could you describe her?"

"I wasn't really looking at her," Kagura said, her fan still beating a constant cadence. "I was focusing on keeping the hanyou occupied. He fell for the trick, of course, and is now probably on his way to see if Yoshida truly is dead… but she had black hair, bangs, brown eyes, a plain dress-nothing defining. Although-" Kagura's head snapped up-"now that I think of it, she looked a lot like Kikyo."

"Kikyo, hm?"

"Yeah. Almost scary how much the looked alike."

"How interesting," Naraku said softly. "Kagura, fetch Kikyo for me. I want to talk to her."

"Why?" The demoness's brow furrowed. "You don't think it really was Kikyo, do you? She was holed up in her room all day, just like she always is."

"Nevertheless," said Naraku silkily, "send her in."

"All right," Kagura shrugged, the movements of her fan slowing. "Though I'm still mad at you, you know."

"My dear, how can I ever make it up to you?"

She regarded him nonchalantly. "You really want to know?"

"Enlighten me."

"Never tell another freaking lie ever again," she burst, stalking out of the room. The door slammed behind her, rattling the walls so hard that several paintings fell off of Naraku's walls.

"My, my," he chuckled. "What a temper she has."

The explosion shook the ground, causing Miroku to fall to his feet.

What in the name of Buddha?

The Russian army hadn't advanced past Sapporo. He was at least eight miles away by now. So what had caused the explosion? And where was Sango?

Taking his chances, he ran into the area of flaming trees, not surprised to find a clearing. He scanned the now-illuminated area, and frowned when he discovered three dead youkai scattered across the field. Two were nearly unidentifiable-they'd obviously been blown apart by the blast-but the other had a dagger stuck in its throat.

He cautiously picked his way across the field-and then froze when he noticed the large crater gaping in the middle of the ground.

Land mine.

"Shit," he ground, not bothering to care that, as a man of Buddha, he should not be cussing. "Sango?"

Then he spotted her slumped against a tree.

Oh dear God. This was the second time this week he found her almost dead-how many times would he have to go through the "please don't let her be dead" chant?

It killed him that he couldn't run over to her. Instead, he found himself walking painstakingly across the field, stepping as lightly as he could; his robes soaked with an anxious sweat. One wrong move and he, too, could be blown into oblivion…

She was three feet away. He thought the anticipation would do him in right then and there.

When he finally reached her (the moment seemed almost unreal) he scooped her up and began to retrace his steps towards the way he'd come. It was even harder to walk now, with an extra hundred pounds-but also because all he wanted to do was pull her into a tight embrace and make sure she was all right. She was breathing, yes, but also unconscious. And unconsciousness could result in a coma…from which some people never awoke.

Where did the land mines end? He had no way of knowing. Perhaps their earlier campsite was resting upon explosive material and they were about to unwittingly sleep there.

Then, in the midst of these thoughts, his foot suddenly slipped and he and Sango went tumbling towards the ground. The only coherent thought he could form on the trip down was "oh my god-I'm dead."

Miroku somehow managed to shift in the air, so he bore the brunt of the fall, rather than the unconscious Sango. He gasped as he hit the ground. My lungs! He was pulling in air like mad, but his lungs weren't working.

Got the wind knocking out of me. Dammit. He kept sucking in breaths, hoping that he would regain his ability to breathe soon-he was feeling lightheaded. What was it Kagome-sama had told the stunned man that one time? "Hands over your head; it releases the tension on your lungs."

Unfortunately, his hands were not available to move at the moment…

That was how Sango found him when she awoke a minute later: gasping and choking, his face turning blue.

"Houshi-sama?" she said in alarm, sitting up too quickly. "Ah…" Her head spun. "Crap."

"Sat up…too fast," Miroku wheezed.

"What's the matter, Houshi-sama?" she asked when the fuzzy black spots disappeared from her vision. "Are you choking?" At his nod of denial, she tried, "Is something obstructing your airways?"

"Wind…knocked out…"

"Put your hands over your head," she immediately ordered.

"Could you…move…?"

Sango looked down to find one of his arms crushed beneath his body, and the other entwined with her own. Blushing, she pulled away and scrambled to her feet.

"Careful!" he gasped. "Land…mines…"

Sango froze, hovering over Miroku's body. "Land mines? Is that what happened? Oh…" She pulled Miroku to his feet and lifted his arms over his head, like a puppeteer would do to a marionette. "Breathe, Houshi-sama."

He nodded, taking in gulps of air. When the blueness of his face receded and his pulse was back to normal, Sango pressed, "Land mines?"

"Yes. I'm assuming you stepped on one and it exploded."

"Actually-I was bleeding beneath the tree. Two demons were running towards me… that's what must have set it off. There must not be very many then, if after all that scuffling, only one exploded."

Miroku relaxed. "That's good." He lowered his arms. "Are you all right? You got a pretty nasty bump on your head. And you're bleeding…"

Sango looked down and shrugged. "Nothing I can't fix up; I'm a nurse, remember?"

He gave her a faint smile. "Right." He watched her as she rolled her apron up and tied it around her arm to staunch the flow of the wound. Much as he hated to do this…he had to know. "Sango?"

"Hmm?"

"Why were you fighting with youkai?"

"Oh." She looked up. "I was upset and I wasn't aware of my surroundings. I let them sneak up on me...foolish, I know, but like I said, I wasn't paying attention. They outnumbered me three to one-I handled it best I could."

"Where did they come from?"

"The woods."

Miroku caught the unsaid duh. "Why were they there?"

Sango had a guarded expression on her face. "I don't know. They just appeared out of nowhere and attacked me."

"Without reason?"

"Demons aren't exactly reasonable, Houshi-sama."

He raised a brow. "That's a bit narrow-minded, don't you think? Not all demons are unreasonable."

"Does this conversation have a point? Or are you just set on grilling me for information?" Her voice was tight with anger now. He had a feeling he'd just upset her again.

"I'm worried," said Miroku truthfully. "I want to know why demons attacked you, unprovoked."

She shrugged, but the tightness from her shoulders didn't disappear. "I don't know. It's not like demons make a habit of explaining their motives to those they attack." She shivered convulsively. "Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."

"Yeah." Miroku said. He followed her out of the clearing with the feeling that he wasn't going to be getting much information out of her tonight.

No need. He was patient. He would get what he wanted. He just hoped that his theory of her guilt was wrong… Although she hadn't acted very innocent tonight. He had this strange feeling that she wasn't telling him everything.

Why had the demons attacked her? If they were part of the Black Mask, and she was reporting to them, turning on her made no sense. Unless she'd done something wrong, and she had to be punished.

Or maybe she wasn't part of the Black Mask after all. What if she was a hired assassin?

He winced. From bad to worse. Pretty soon he'd be imagining that she was a serial killer disguised as a guileless nurse.

He wearily rubbed his face. How had this all happened? When he met her in the hospital, he'd noticed her looks, groped her, and she slapped him. They'd talked during the hours they were awake, and he discovered Sango was more than a pretty face-she was a vibrant, intellectual, hard-working woman. They'd fought back-to-back against the Russians, and traveled together for the past few days. And now he was about to accuse her of attempting to murder the half-demon InuYasha, who happened to be part of the Channel?

Kami-sama, what crazy things war makes us do.

"Ack! InuYasha, not so fast!"

"Sorry, wench, you're just gonna have to endure this for a while. We've lost too much time as it is."

Kagome sighed. "All right. But you could try to avoid the low-hanging tree branches in the future?"

"Yeah, sorry," he said absently.

Kagome tightened her arms around his neck as he sped through the woods; she knew he was anxious to confirm the validity of the Wind Witch's claim. Her mouth tightened in a grimace. What if the Prime Minister was dead? She wasn't that educated about politics, but she knew enough to know that such an occurrence would not be good.

Her stomach tightened. "InuYasha?"

"Now what?"

"Um…my stomach hurts."

"So? What do you want me to do about it? Kiss it better?"

"No-this isn't a normal stomach ache-I think-"

"Youki?" He was suddenly alert. "You sense a demonic presence? Where's it coming from? Can you tell?"

"No, it's not a youki…I…InuYasha, let me down: I'm going to be sick."

"What!" he spluttered, coming to an abrupt halt. He let go of her legs and she tumbled to the ground.

"Ouch!" she said, wincing. "Thanks a lot, you big brute. You think you could have been a bit gentler?"

"Are you really about to be sick?"

"Yes, I-" Her stomach heaved and she retched onto the ground, narrowly missing InuYasha's feet.

"Watch it, wench!"

"Well, I'm sorry!" she snapped, wiping her mouth. "It's not as if I'm…aiming…" She gagged and vomited again.

InuYasha didn't even try to hide his disgust. He turned away, closing his eyes.

"What's the matter with you?" Kagome mumbled miserably.

"I don't find pleasure in watching people chuck their meals."

"You're so vulgar," she said. "And that makes absolutely no sense. You can tear someone's innards apart with your 'claws of blood', but you can't look at vomit?"

"Uh, yeah, pretty much."

She sighed. "Go figure."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he challenged, spinning around to stare at her insolently. He figured it was safe to look, now that her gagging noises had stopped.

"Nothing," she muttered, her face deathly pale.

InuYasha suddenly felt guilty for being so crass. "You all right, wench?"

"Does it look like I'm all right?!"

Properly chastised, InuYasha hung his head. "Anything I could do to help?" he asked, sounding uncommonly gentle.

"Not really," she sighed, still hunched over. Her stomach was roiling. "What I really want is someone told hold back my hair, but seeing as you can't tolerate vomit, I guess that's out of the-" She stopped in surprise when the black strands of hair dangling around her face suddenly disappeared. "Inu-?"

"Just warn me when you're going to be sick," he said gruffly, "so I can close my eyes and ears in time."

Close his ears? How can he- Oh. Touched by his unusual display of gallantry, she smiled. "Thank you, InuYasha."

"Feh," he said softly.

"How do you know where Yoshida is?" Kagome asked as they were once again speeding through the woods. "I'm not sure that I understand."

"He'll be with the Rocky," said InuYasha dourly. "Those bastards had to have a way to lure him into a trap-I'll bet you anything that someone gave Rocky a false tip. He was dead set on protecting the PM."

"But you're not positive?"

"I'm 99.9% sure."

"Yeah, and doesn't that absurd 1% usually fool us all?"

"Do you have any better ideas?" he retorted.

"No," she mumbled. She decided to keep quiet; InuYasha obviously wasn't in the best of moods.

Ten seconds later she piped up with: "So where exactly is the Prime Minister?"

"He was in a safe place, where not even Black Mask members could find him."

"But…obviously they did. Somehow."

"Not necessarily. They could have lured him and Rocky out of hiding if they made Rocky believe the PM was in danger."

"Oh…" All of these espionage tactics were way over Kagome's head. "But you know where this 'safe place' is?"

"Uh-well-not technically…"

"What?" she squeaked. "So how do you know where we're going?!"

"My nose, stupid," snarled InuYasha. "Rocky came this way. He has a really distinctive scent."

"I'm amazed you don't work for the police force-they would probably pay you a thousand yen a day to work for them: a dog who smells and talks."

"Hey, that wasn't funny!"

"Sorry." Geez, what was his problem? She was just trying to lighten things up.

InuYasha was sniffing like mad now.

"What's the matter?" Kagome asked.

"I smell blood just up ahead."

"Here?" said Kagome, dismayed. They were on the outskirts of a village, traveling close to the shadow of the woods that fringed the town. "This is the 'safe place'?"

"No. It doesn't smell like the Prime Minister."

"Then who does it smell like?"

InuYasha didn't answer. But Kagome felt his shoulders tense up. She waited in silent apprehension as they neared the smell of blood.

Her breath caught in her throat. "There-something's in the middle of the path."

"I know," InuYasha said grimly.

"What is it?"

"A body."

"A body? As in a-corpse?"

"Yes."

Amazing how much foreboding that one word could hold. With InuYasha's speed, they were on top of the body before Kagome could ask InuYasha whose scent the body held.

InuYasha stopped in front of the corpse and stared down at it. Then he let out a large, shuddering breath.

Kagome peered over his shoulder, trying to identify the body in the darkness.

Then she gave a cry of recognition. "That's-!"

Sango was in Miroku's arms again. But this time, there was no joking, no playful banter. Just silence. A heavy, oppressive silence.

"Tell me why we're traveling in the dark again?" she asked crossly.

"Because," explained Miroku patiently, "your wounds need to be tended to immediately. And I have neither the qualification nor the supplies to do so."

"It's just a few scratches on my arm."

He gave her a look.

"They aren't that serious!" she said defensively.

"If you weren't a nurse, I'd almost think that you were afraid of the hospital."

"Now that would be a quandary, wouldn't it?"

She was tense. Very tense. He began to gently rub her back with the hand that was supporting that region. He may suspect her of villainous activity…but he she was still a woman-and he still liked her.

She stiffened immediately. "What are you doing, Houshi-sama?"

"Helping you relax."

"I can relax without your help, thank you very much."

Touché. "Then how come you're not doing so?"

She didn't have an answer to that.

"Just trust me a little, Sango," he said quietly. "I won't hurt you."

A tear cascaded down her cheek. "It's a bit late for that."

Miroku stopped in the middle of the pathway and carefully set her down on her feet. "I think it's time for a little heart-to-heart."

Her head was turned. "Go ahead. Speak."

How was he going to do this? He could ask her straight out, but what if she lied?

He'd just have to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Sango-I need to know: are you part of the Black Mask?"

Her head shot up and she stared at him with large eyes. "The-no! I-never! How would I do that? I hate demons! I despise them-I could never, never betray my people like that."

Miroku didn't quite know how to handle her reaction. First off, she actually knew what the Black Mask was…but then she claimed to detest any form of youkai. Something didn't quite add up.

Then he realized Sango was sobbing her heart out. "Sango…? Sango, what's the matter?"

She shook her head, unable to speak.

Miroku took a leap of faith and pulled her into his arms, knowing full well that if she was an assassin, or a Black Mask member, she could stab him in the back right now.

But all she did was bury her face in his robes and weep harder.

Miroku had seen many poor actresses in his day-and he had also seen many amazing actresses. The amazing actresses were too dramatic; the poor ones couldn't generate enough tears to even give the appearance that they were crying.

Sango's tears were real; she was heartbroken.

He tightened his embrace, ready to kill whatever had hurt her this bad. "Sango," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair. "It's okay…let it out…"

He let her sob for a while longer, not saying a word, just gently rocking her as she cried, there in the middle of the road. When her tears slowed a bit, he whispered, "You can tell me if you want."

"I wish I could," she said, her voice breaking. "But there are some things in life that you j-just can't-tell anyone."

Miroku sighed and nodded, still stroking her hair. "Can you sugarcoat it? Tell me the bare details? I don't want you to be sad, Sango…"

She was quiet for so long that he began to think she hadn't heard him. "I lived in this very village we're approaching."

Miroku started at her words. Was that why she didn't want to go to the hospital there?

"The villagers who live there don't belong there. They moved in after my village was burned to the ground-after all its inhabitants were slaughtered by demons."

"But-"

"I was the only one who survived. They thought I was dead too-I was half buried in the ground when I awoke." She pulled in a shuddering breath and circled her arms around Miroku's waist. "The demons weren't tiny, stupid demons. These were the intelligent ones. They slaughtered all the women and children first, and then lined the exterminators of the village to-to fight each other."

"Wait," Miroku said slowly. "If what you said is true, they should have killed you first. Why didn't they? Were you hidden?"

"No," she said. "I was lined up with the rest of the exterminators. The only woman…and the best in the village."

Miroku was rendered speechless for a moment.

"They lined us up in two rows, each person facing another. They gave the order: fight or die. A few refused to fight their friends and they-they were run through with swords." She shuddered again, and held him tighter. Miroku listened, dread filling his heart.

"I was paired with my brother."

"Oh Sango," he whispered.

"We didn't fight, only sparred, like we'd done for years. We hoped that the demons wouldn't notice, that they'd be too focused on the others…but one did notice and notched his arrow to shoot him in the back. I saw him and threw my Hiraikotsu at him, killing him. But that-just drew even more attention to us. My brother and I were showered with arrows. He died; I passed out. I was halfway buried-they didn't bother to give our village a proper burial-and pulled myself up a few hours later."

By the time she paused to take a breath, her voice wasn't weepy anymore, just bitter and flat. Miroku held on to her as if she was his only lifeline.

"Houshi-sama, what I'm going to tell you I haven't told anyone else. And after you hear what I tell you, I will know one of two things: either you are honest, and I have been deceived; or you are deceitful and I know the truth. If the latter case is correct, I will have to kill you."

"And if the former is correct?" Miroku said quietly.

"You are free to kill me."

Knowing the weight of these words, Miroku nodded. "I understand." What in the name of Buddha was she about to tell him?

She began her story. "When I 'rose from the grave', you could say, there was a traveler watching me.

"'So you are not dead, young woman,' he said.

"'Damn right I'm not,' I said. 'I will…kill…every one of those murdering bastards the moment I find them.'

"'That would be impossible,' he said. 'They are all dead. Finished off when the neighboring village arrived. They thought you were all dead. I was watching from the woods.'

"I was furious. Not only had they murdered my family, my friends, my village…but now I couldn't even get revenge. 'Why did they attack us?' I asked the man.

"'I heard the demons mention a name: "InuYasha" they said. The hanyou.'

"'How do I know you are truthful?' I asked.

"'What reason would I have to lie?' he said. 'Ask around. They will tell you who ordered this attack.'

"I asked around in neighboring villages, it was confirmed that a mysterious half-demon named InuYasha was indeed seen in the area. I, desperate for vengeance, set out on a quest to hunt down and murder this half-demon.

"Eventually I was employed by a man from the Channel who told me that InuYasha was a notorious member of the Black Mask. He, too, was desperate to see InuYasha's death."

Miroku couldn't hold it in any longer. "But-"

"Just listen," Sango whispered harshly.

"The man hired me to kill InuYasha," she continued, "me and another woman. We were told to ambush his house on a planned night and kill him. I counted down the days to that planned night."

"Who," Miroku couldn't help interrupting, "was the other woman?"

"I didn't know her name; neither did she know mine. But she had black hair and grey eyes-and she was a priestess. Anyhow, we ambushed the half-demon on the specified night-he was in the very place the man told us he'd be-only…I didn't find a demon, or even a half-demon. I found a human."

A chill went down Miroku's back. "His human night. All half-demons have a human night; that's when they are the most vulnerable."

"Yes. Something didn't feel right about the situation; I was supposed to attack a demon, not a human! And then that priestess woman started saying weird stuff. 'InuYasha,' she said, 'poor fool. Didn't you know I was working for your enemy the entire time? You deluded boy; how could you ever think I would join you in your cause?' The man was stupefied-and he looked so…betrayed. Then the priestess lunged at him with a knife; the man, even as a human, easily dodged her swipe. I watched in the background as they fought, horribly confused. They talked as they fought; the priestess yelling angrily and the man pleading. Then the miko said something that made InuYasha's face contort with rage. He was still stronger than the miko as a human; he raised his arm to strike her…and all of a sudden I was sick of killing. I didn't want anyone to die. I threw my Hiraikotsu at him and knocked him out. Then I grabbed the miko and dragged her out of that cursed hut." She took a deep breath.

"But then, Houshi-sama, I met you. Though are you corrupt beyond belief, you don't seem like the kind of person it takes to be in the Black Mask. You knew and trusted InuYasha. And that look on his face that night-that miko sounded deceitful…not him." She looked at him with her beautiful eyes, her gaze intense. "Tell me the truth, Houshi-sama, if you really are a man. A true man does not lie, even if his information is incriminating. I swear if you lie to me, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"I understand, Sango."

"Are you part of the Black Mask? No-are you associated with the Black Mask in any way?"

"No."

She took a breath. "Is InuYasha part of the Black Mask?"

"Contrary to popular thought…no, he is not." He gave Sango a sharp look. "Not even his brother knows InuYasha's true loyalties; if you squeal, it is certain that he will kill you."

"No need," she said in a strangled voice. She pulled away from his embrace. "You may kill me now, Houshi-sama."

"Sango," said Miroku, frowning. "You were deceived by whoever told you those lies; you were taken advantage of in your grief. There is no shame in that."

"I haven't told you everything yet," she said, her voice quivering.

Miroku froze. His body literally ached with pain-what if he was forced to kill her? He knew that in some situations, he would have no choice. War is not a time to sprout a conscience, Rocky had told him. And you, being a priest, will find that especially trying. Are you sure you want to join our cause? Miroku had said yes.

"When we were leaving the hut," Sango whispered, her eyes downcast, "I noticed a file of papers wedged between a ceramic pot and the wall. I had been instructed to steal vital Black Mask information… but it looks like I actually stole information from InuYasha's cause and…gave it to the Black Mask." She closed her eyes. "I am not afraid to die, Houshi-sama. I know the consequences of my actions. You may kill me when you are ready."

Miroku looked down at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fist around his staff. Sango was classified as an enemy spy. It didn't matter that she had unwillingly or unknowingly aided Black Mask members; the fact was that she had contributed to their cause. By the Channel's standards, she was considered a spy, and he, as a Channel member, was required to kill her. Not knowing her loyalties, she could potentially harm the Channel again.

He set his jaw. Is this how InuYasha felt when he was betrayed by the miko? How had he felt when he was fighting his lover? Like hell, Miroku thought. That's probably what he felt like: hell.

Love and war didn't mix. Over and over again in history, men and women were forced to choose between one or the other.

He took a deep breath and pulled his dagger from the hidden pocket in his robes. He'd heard horror stories of men who had committed terrible deeds in war, for their cause.

He would soon join their ranks.

Sango heard Miroku unsheathe his dagger. Her eyes still closed, she forced herself to inhale deeply and steadily. She would not have him believe she was scared. Proudly and honorably was how she would die. She wasn't ashamed of her actions, even though they had incriminated her; he had acted out of love for her brother, her father, and her village.

Her only regret was that she never had a chance to find true love.

Sango heard Miroku's resigned footsteps inch closer to her. She kept her eyes closed. She couldn't watch herself be killed…and she couldn't bear to see Miroku's face as he followed through with his obligation.

Her muscles tightened with anticipation as she heard the whoosh of the dagger as it was raised…

And then the sound of it dropping to the ground?

Her eyes flew open as she felt warm lips upon hers. What the-?!

Miroku's face was anguished as he pulled away. His hands crept up to her face, and he gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "I can't do it, Sango," he whispered huskily. "I can't. I'm willing to risk my life, my reputation-I can't kill you. You've endured too much pain already."

His words stabbed her heart. "That's what this is-pity?"

He shook his head fervently, his eyes coming to meet hers once again. "Never, Sango. I don't know if this is love…or just infatuation…but never pity."

He drew in a breath. "I can't…I don't understand this-my feelings. I don't know. You confuse me. I want to trust you, Sango…so much…"

"I understand, Houshi-sama." He didn't love her. "You can't bring yourself to murder a woman."

"No, that's not it either." He laughed a little. "Sango, you're completely missing the point. I've never been in love before, so how can I know if this is real? I've only known you for a few days now, but this feeling is unlike anything I have ever felt." He took another breath. "I don't know, Sango, but this sure as hell feels like love."

Salty tears rolled down her cheeks. He wiped away her tears again. "What is it, sweetheart?"

She shook her head. "You didn't have to do that, Miroku. You didn't have to sacrifice yourself for me."

"You're right-I didn't have to." He brought his face closer to hers, so that his forehead was resting against hers. "But I wanted to." Then it hit him. "Sango? Could you say my name again? Just to make sure I didn't imagine it?"

She laughed through her tears. "A little slow on the uptake, aren't you, Miroku?"

A roguish smile split the monk's face. "You were really a demon exterminator?"

"I really was," she said, smiling as she slipped her arms around his neck. "I would go back to it again if I had the chance."

Miroku frowned a bit. "Not all demons are bad, Sango."

"No," she agreed. "But some are. I'm like a policeman, in a way. Discipline the good guys, catch-or kill-the bad ones."

"You are one amazing woman," he whispered, his gaze resting on her mouth.

She smiled and leaned upwards to peck him on the lips. "Thank you."

Miroku frowned in disappointment. "That's all I get?"

Her laugh was cut off as he once again caught her lips with his own. She closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of Miroku's mouth upon hers. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. The two melted into each other's embrace, all other thoughts and fears gliding away like darkness under the glare of the sun.

"That's-!" Kagome's horrified whisper was cut off as InuYasha shushed her. "Rocky?" Kagome continued, ignoring InuYasha's command. "I thought she said they were after Yoshida!"

"Rocky must have been in the way." InuYasha's face was impassive as he stared down at his former boss-former friend.

"Is he-really dead?" Kagome asked tentatively. "Maybe he's just unconscious?"

InuYasha pointed to a blob resting next to the corpse. "I doubt it. That right there is his heart."

Kagome shrieked and threw herself against InuYasha's side. He rolled his eyes. "And you call yourself a nurse?"

"I never had to deal with-bodily abuse like this! This is-this is the work of a deranged madman!"

"That's a pretty good description of Naraku." He sighed a bit despondently. "You know that besides Kouga, Rocky was the only one who knew my name?"

"Kouga?" Kagome frowned. "Who's Kouga?"

"It's not important." He mentally cursed himself for slipping. The events of the past two days, his lack of sleep, and the influence of this wench were muddling his mind. They need to find Yoshida, get him to safety, and find someplace to sleep. "Did you know his real name was Rocco?"

"Rocco?" she repeated. "What kind of name is that?"

"Italian."

Her eyes widened. "Rocky was Italian?"

"Sure was. Said that his people were an embarrassment to the world for letting themselves be hired by the Russians to eradicate youkai and the Japanese."

"Wow," murmured Kagome. Guess it just goes to show… "But who will be the new leader of the Channel?" she wondered aloud.

InuYasha smiled a bit. "Stupid wench. This isn't a democratic organization. Rocky was just the unofficial head man for our specific division. With so many leaders, it's impossible for the enemy to wipe out a whole network with just one murder." He sighed. "All we lost was a brilliant tactician and a good man. A good man," he repeated softly.

Kagome looked up at him with understanding eyes. "I'll forgive your 'stupid wench' comment in light of your loss."

"Not my loss…the Channel's loss. Japan's loss." All of a sudden he drew his arm back and sent a quiet "Sankon Tessou" towards Rocky.

Kagome shrieked again as blood spurted out from the corpse. "InuYasha! What are you doing?!"

"Making it impossible for him to be identified. From now on, he's just another war statistic."

Kagome looked at the marred face and realized that in doing so, InuYasha had just protected the living members of the Channel. Rocky would have wanted this, she thought. Perhaps it was even an unwritten rule in the Channel.

"He deserved a more honorable death," Kagome said.

"Yeah," said InuYasha regretfully. "But what can you do? That's war."

Kagome nodded. "I'm sorry, InuYasha."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, then turned away, and inscrutable expression on his face. "Thanks, wench," he said gruffly.

She smiled. "You're welcome."

"Well," InuYasha said, stooping down so Kagome could climb onto his back, "if Rocky were here, he'd be telling us to quit moping around like two lost orphans and get on finding the PM."

"And who are we to ignore the command of the almighty Rocky?"

"Exactly." He waited until she was comfortably settled on his back, then took off again.

"InuYasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know where you're going this time? Or are you just going to follow your nose again?"

"No, I have pretty good idea where to find Yoshida; no doubt Rocky would have arranged a backup place for him to run to if things went wrong."

"If he's still alive, that is," Kagome pointed out.

"You mean Yoshida? Oh, he's alive. Lucky bastard."

"What! How can you possibly know that?"

InuYasha adjusted his arm so that it was now resting under Kagome's rear rather than under her leg, freeing his other arm.

Kagome squeaked. "What are you doing, you pervert?!"

"Oh, don't get your stockings in a tangle. Take the dumb ring before I drop you."

"Huh? What ring?" She looked closer at his hand and noticed a simple silver ring with the engraving of a dragon pushed on his index finger. "Oh, this?" She pulled it off and, much to her relief, InuYasha slipped his other arm through her leg again. "What is this?"

"Yoshida's seal ring. That's what he uses to seal his special letters."

"His seal ring?" echoed Kagome. "Why in the world do you have it?"

"I took it off Rocky's finger back there."

"You did? When? And what the hell was Rocky doing with it?"

"Isn't it glaringly obvious? That Wind Bitch told us that the PM was dead, only instead, we find Rocky murdered-wearing Yoshida's ring."

"So?" Kagome said, getting a little tired of all this pretense and deception.

"Would you use your brain for once? They switched identities. Rocky died under the identity of the Prime Minister. Yoshida is traipsing across the country as Rocky. Rocky just committed the ultimate sacrifice for what he believed in."

"This wasn't even his country," Kagome murmured in amazement. She glanced back towards the body, which was now far in the distance. "But why leave him in the middle of the path like that?"

"The assassins probably wagered that it would be more disrespectful to have the Prime Minister laid to rest in such a primitive and un-royal place." He turned around to look at her and smirked. "Guess they're in for a big surprise, huh?"

"Mmm." Kagome again glanced back at the body of the Italian who had given his life for the welfare of Japan. Then she turned back around, just in time to see the first rays of light peek over the tops of the trees in the dawning of a new day.