InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Children of Light ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashbacks~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Houshi, come on, we don't have much time. Inu Yasha and Kagome will be waiting for us." Sango packed up her supplies from the camp she and Miroku had made the night before. She slung Hiraikotsu, her over-sized monk-bashing boomerang, as Miroku enjoyed referring to it as, over her shoulder, as she turned to see what was taking the monk so long.

"Coming my dear Sango. I was merely meditating on the beautiful morning and thanking the gods for such a day, and of course, for allowing me to be in the company of such an enchanting lady. But please, call me Miroku, not my title." Miroku raised Sango's hand to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss there and was rewarded with a shy smile and a deep blush as Sango looked away.

**WACK** Miroku stood in the middle of the field, dazed, with an ear splitting grin plastered on his face as he held the side of his head with his hand to cover the now quickly forming lump.

"You lech! Be grateful I didn't hit you with Hiraikotsu that time or you'd be out for days!" Miroku infuriated the poor confused Sango to no end. Just when she thought he was starting to drop his lecherous habits with a sweet, thoughtful compliment, she found his hand securely positioned on her backside.

Sango gritted her teeth as she turned on her heels and continued in the direction they were headed. "Let's go. Inu Yasha and that demon temper of his will be waiting for us if we're late. And I miss Kagome." At the thought of seeing her friend after their weeklong trek, Sango's mood immediately lightened. She even allowed Miroku to catch up to her, but ensured that he walked a step or two ahead of her, as his purple monk robes flapped in the gentle morning breeze.

"Ah yes. We mustn't keep Inu Yasha waiting. He does get to be a bit testy at times doesn't he?" Miroku and Sango laughed at their light hearted bantering of their hanyou friend.

*****

"Sango!" Kagome came running out of the little hut she stayed at while in the village with grandmother Kaede. Kagome and Inu Yasha lived nearer to the river, a little ways out.

"Kagome!" Sango rushed to greet her friend, the girl that had become like a sister to her since the destruction of her village. They hugged warmly as Kagome ushered her inside.

"Hi Miroku!" Kagome called over her shoulder as she and Sango made for the hut to catch up on their girl talk.

"Lady Kagome, it's good to see you again." Miroku smiled, just as Inu Yasha came out from the little hut with a squealing, happy Shippou perched on his shoulder. Kirara, having been needed elsewhere when Sango and Miroku had gone on their journey to some neighboring villages, had spotted her mistress from the hut's window and jumped into Sango's outstretched arms, purring contently as Sango scratched at her head.

"Good to see you too, Kirara." She smiled warmly at the little demon cat in her arms.

"Sango, don't you know how to read the sun?" Inu Yasha demanded as he blocked the girl's entrance into the hut. His gruff comment, however, was lost on Sango who knew better. It was difficult for Inu Yasha to show his true feelings to anyone besides Kagome, and even that had taken a lot of time for him to work through. Sango knew that what he was really trying to say was, `it's great to see you and I was concerned'.

Sango smiled as Inu Yasha's ears twitched at the top of his head as he waited to see what response he would receive. He was surprised when Sango smiled widely at him. "It's good to see you Inu Yasha. I've missed you too."

Kagome and Sango giggled their way past him into the hut as an open-mouthed Inu Yasha stared after them.

"Ah yes, the female race. What a truly mystifying and enchanting species." Miroku grinned as he placed his hand on his friends shoulder in greeting.

"Keh. They're all crazy if you ask me."

*******

She raised her head to take in the horrific scene surrounding her. Demons had been cut down in an extraordinary number as their bodies littered the field of her vision as far as the eye could see. The horizon was nothing but a pile of dismembered bodies, enhanced only by the sight of the burning trees as smoke began to choke the sky.

~~~~~

"Miroku, dear gods, Miroku, can you hear me? Are you okay?" Kagome was frantic; her heart was lodged in her throat.

"Ka…gome…" came the weakened reply.

Kagome fought back tears as she looked at his battered, shaking body. He had a gouge across his forehead that was leaking blood into his eye. His robes were torn and there was barely an unscathed portion of skin left on his body. He was a mess.

"Here, let me," she began to say as she reached a hand out to heal the gash on his forehead. But she was immediately stopped in her efforts by the pressure of one of his bloodied hands encircling her wrist.

"No… wait… it's too late."

~~~~~

"He found Kouga. He took his shards, killed him. He's there on the field, with Sesshoumaru. He too came to help, but failed. Naraku was… too strong. You have to know, he has the jewel Kagome. All of it."

~~~~~

"…don't cry Kagome. We tried. Inu Yasha, he's still out there, he won't give up. Go to him Kagome. We'll be okay now."

Finally having been able to deliver his message, Miroku slumped over, his final breath slipping from his bloodstained body, his torn robes flapping gently in the breeze. The only sounds in the now silent forest were that of Kagome's silent sobs as they racked through her hunched over form as she grieved for her lost friends. Her family.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashbacks~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The room was engulfed in a bright, blinding light, as the Machete made its way to Sango's unprotected form. The thug was not only surprised by the sudden bright light, but by his heavy weapon, that seemed to bounce off of Sango as though she were protected by an invisible shield.

Kagome's Miko power had protected Sango from the fatal blow.

Before the thug could think to attack again, an angry Miroku had taken him down.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" Miroku's usual calm composure slipped as he screamed in fury, his fists pummeling into the still stunned lackey, over and over again. All the lackey had time to do was blink in confusion as pain exploded in his face before he finally slumped to the floor and darkness blurred his vision.

"Sango, are you okay?" Miroku hunched down next to Sango who stared up at him, bewildered. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. No sound would come out.

"Kagome!" Inu Yasha had seen the power erupt from his mate, but wasn't sure what had happened. He managed to swiftly take care of the last remaining goons as he also, unsurprisingly, noticed the disappearance of Kochi and Kouga. Inu Yasha didn't spend much time thinking on the worthless punk and the even more worthless wolf, as he rushed to his mate's side. Her sudden explosion of power had apparently taken care of a few of the troublemakers, by the sight of unconscious bodies heaped around her.

"You okay Kagome?" Inu Yasha held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes as she nodded quietly, not able to trust herself with her voice. Both were pulled out of their thoughts at the sound of a woman's scream.

"HIRAIKOTSU!"

Just as they turned their heads in the direction of the scream, Sango leapt up from the pile of broken wood upon seeing one last thug attempt to sneak up on Miroku and take him by surprise. Instinctively, she had grabbed at one of the larger pieces of wood and chucked it straight towards the oncoming attacker with long practiced ease and precision. Miroku whipped his head around in time to see the would-be attacker fall into a heap next to his friends.

Miroku looked back to see a shaking Sango standing overhead. Her eyes were focused on the fallen heap of bodies before her, a look of bewilderment etched in her eyes.

"Sango?" Miroku looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. Sango blinked at him, as though she wasn't sure where she was.

"SANGO! You're okay!" Kagome rushed up to embrace her friend. Sango stood motionless for a few moments, seeming unsure of what she should do, while Kagome continued to hold onto her friend tightly. Kagome was so relieved that nothing had happened to her, when suddenly, Sango returned the hug with a desperate need as she broke down into wailing, heart wrenching sobs.

**********

It took some time for Sango to compose herself enough that they were finally able to move her to Inu Yasha's apartment. No one had said a word the entire way over. Sango and Miroku looked lost and far away and Inu Yasha and Kagome still weren't exactly sure what had happened. They had to leave the bar as quickly as possible, and left the police to take care of the unconscious thugs. Kochi and Kouga had not made any additional appearances either.

"Sango? Are you okay? Can you say something?" Kagome was starting to get really concerned about her friends. She wasn't sure if her Miko powers had done them any harm. And the way Sango had thrown the broken tabletop, calling the name of her old weapon, what did it all mean?

Sango and Miroku were sitting on the couch, their hands clasped in their lap. Miroku had been a little more responsive, but it was obvious he was reluctant to say anything just yet. Inu Yasha sat in his leather recliner, his elbows on his knees, not sure what to think of anything, as Kagome sat on the little coffee table, directly in front of Sango.

Sango looked at her long-time friend. Her face was expressionless. She then turned her gaze to Inu Yasha, who still wore his concealing beads, when Sango rose without a word and walked towards Inu Yasha. She looked down at him as he stared up at her from his chair, confusion written plainly across his face.

Tentatively, Sango reached a hand out towards him and then pulled back quickly, as if stung. Inu Yasha quirked an eyebrow at her, as everyone else stared on. Finally, having come to some internal decision, Sango slowly reached her hand out towards Inu Yasha's neck and before anyone had clued into what she had done, she removed his concealing beads from around his neck. His furry, white triangular ears reemerged at the top of his head as his teeth and claws lengthened in his mouth and on his hands.

Sango gasped, taking a shaky step backwards, almost falling over the table behind her.

"How… but… it was a dream… right?" They were the first words Sango had uttered since leaving the bar and her voice was filled with pain, confusion, sorrow and disbelief.

"Sango." Kagome came around to her friend, looking her in the eyes as she held onto her shoulders, forcing Sango to look at her. Reluctantly, Sango pulled her gaze away from the still dumbfounded Inu Yasha.

"Sango, what do you remember? It's okay Sango. You can tell me." Kagome's eyes brimmed with suppressed emotion. If only…

"Everything." Sango's voice was soft and quiet. It was strained, barely above a whisper, but everyone had heard her.

"Sango?" Miroku rose from his spot on the couch and made his way towards her. He received her from Kagome as he held her hands in his own. His eyes pleaded with her. Begged her to tell him that it was okay. His own memories had been assaulting him, but until he knew how Sango would react, if she would be okay, he refused to say anything.

Tears brimmed in Sango's eyes as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Houshi."

Miroku smiled widely. He never thought in all his lives, he would be so happy to hear her call him that again. He wasted no time as he wrapped her in his arms. He was delighted when she returned the hug with the same force and feeling.

*******

"I just can't believe it. You knew all this time Kagome?" Sango was still shocked that this was the secret that her best friend had been keeping; the half demon mate, past lives and magical powers. It was no wonder she had been acting so strange.

"Oh Sango, you have no idea how happy I am that you both remember! It makes everything so much easier, and I've missed you two so much!" Kagome clasped her hands together in joyful glee.

The four of them had ordered in and had sat around the TV room catching up on everything that happened, as they tried to concentrate on the one good thing the attack at the bar had brought them that night. Miroku, who had already known about Inu Yasha's half demon side wasn't as shocked as Sango, who technically, had just discovered that demon's existed at all. And all the memories he had regained about his past life, only reassured him about a lot of the feelings and hunches he had experienced over the years. Of course, remembering those last moments of his past life and talking about them in this lifetime, still wasn't easy.

"What about Shippou and Kirara?" Miroku asked the one question he knew Sango couldn't bring herself to ask about her once-forgotten little friend. But Sango kept the tears from breaking as she waited for Kagome's response.

"We don't know what happened," Inu Yasha replied. He knew how much it upset Kagome to talk about the kitsune cub they had taken care of, and he didn't want her to start crying. Tonight should be about what they had gained, not what they had lost. And he honestly didn't remember what had happened to Kirara before the battle. Had she even been there?

"I sent her back."

Everyone turned surprised faces to Sango.

"What do you mean Sango?" Miroku asked gently.

"Before the battle…I…I sent Kirara back…to the village, to get help. I…I never saw her again."

No one said anything as they lowered their heads and thought about their long ago companions.

"Hey, at least we're all together again right?"

Everyone was shocked to hear such a sensible and sensitive remark coming from Inu Yasha.

"Keh. What are you all looking at?" Inu Yasha tried to cross his arms across his chest, which was a little difficult with Kagome sitting on his lap.

They all erupted into amused laughter as Inu Yasha's fluster only grew and Miroku baited him with comments about sensitivity classes for hanyou's and what a modern miracle they were in this day and age, and if only they had been invented 500 years earlier.

Inu Yasha proceeded to quickly remove Kagome from his lap as he chased his friend around the apartment, who squealed and screamed like a little girl, as he flung his arms frantically in the air in a mock impersonation of a frightened village girl, as he ran around screaming "oh the demon is after me, please, someone save me, the demon is after me".

Kagome beamed with unsuppressed delight as Sango laughed hysterically into her hands. Sure, things were a little different, and it wasn't exactly as it was, but she had her family back again. She was home. And she would die before she let any harm come to them again.