InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Curse The Night ❯ Chapter 1

The July heat wave was in full effect in Tokyo. Little could be done to avoid it, other than staying indoors.  Even at night, the heat was only tolerable; but then, such human things like weather didn't matter to the undead.  The only place one could possibly catch a breeze in the city was on top of a high-rise building.  Most of those banned rooftop access… but when had a little thing like permission ever stopped Sango?

The wind on the roof of the Shin-Marunouchi Building whipped Sango's ponytail into a dark cloud around her head.  The breeze did nothing to calm the feeling of unease in her body: a foreboding that blew through her like a hurricane.  Clad in only black jeans and a red tank top, she could feel the sweat evaporating from her heated body, providing only temporary relief.  Looking at Mount Fuji in the distance, Sango took a rare moment to revel in its beauty.  Most of the time, her life was too busy and too painful to even pretend she cared about her surroundings.  But every now and then, something would stop her in her tracks and today, seeing Mount Fuji splashed orange by the setting sun was her brief respite. It was also a rare opportunity for her to see the world before the business of dealing with the undead overtook her night.   

`Tonight's going to be a busy night, that's for sure,' she mused.  Summer meant more people out at night, a veritable feast for vamps.  Most of the them in the city went to legal places to get a live human fix but new vampires and those who didn't want to follow the rules would hit the tourist spots, looking for a loner to pull into a dark alley and drain.  It was her job to take care of them; after all, she was the slayer. 

She knew Kagome would be pissed if she found out that Sango was planning on using herself as bait again.  She had been insisting for months now that Sango needed a partner but the plea fell on deaf ears.  Sango didn't want anyone holding her back from doing what she was paid to do.  She didn't mind working for The Agency as long as they didn't interfere with how she did her job.  Kagome continued to push the issue about Sango going out alone on patrol.

`She worries too much.'  

For three years, Sango refused to let anyone get close enough for Sango to call `friend' but Kagome's persistence to be there for Sango eventually got her the all-access pass.  It also helped that Kagome was a powerful witch and her powers often came in handy with Sango's line of work.  Kagome wasn't thrilled that vampires and other supernatural creatures had equal rights under the law but as long as they didn't overstep the boundaries, it wasn't a whole lot she could do about it. 

According to the law, Sango was a Supernatural Slayer with a specialization in vampires. She was the one called in to kill rouge vamps when their taste for humans got out of hand.  Vampires were not her favorite creatures and she had no qualms taking their lives.  She was one of a rare group of Slayers, those born with the senses to detect vampires and the ability to resist some of the vampire mind tricks.  She had worked alongside her father and other members of their clan, taking care of threats to humankind.

Now, Sango worked alone.  Circumstances had forced that situation on her.  Every since Naraku and his minions came through Tokyo like a ill wind and taken all that she had loved from her, Sango's only purpose in life was to destroy him.  Every day he walked the earth was another day she felt she had failed her mission.

As the sun set and the dark shadows began to spread like long, menacing fingers, Sango turned her back to Mount Fuji.  Time for relaxation was over.  Gathering her weapons from the rooftop, Sango began her decent into the darkness, eager for her blade to taste blood

ooOOoo 
 

Miroku woke with a start.  He felt momentarily disoriented and staring at the pristine ceiling above him, he tried vainly to figure out where he was. After a few minutes, he realized this was a hospital room.   

`But why am I here and how did I get here?' he mused, trying unsuccessfully to recall the events of the night before.  Taking in his surroundings, Miroku noticed he had an I.V. attached to his hand.  His body felt achy and sore but as he tried to turn his head, a sharp jolt of pain almost made him cry out.  Reaching up to touch his tender neck, he was surprised to find it covered with bandages.

`What in the hell happened to me?'

At that moment, the hospital door swung gently open and he was pleased to see an attractive nurse enter the room.  She smiled broadly when she noticed that Miroku was awake. 

“Ah, welcome back to the land of the living.”

Miroku returned the smile.  “The land of the living?  How long have I been here?”

Checking his I.V., the nurse replied.  “This is the fourth day, sir.”

He sat in stunned silence as the nurse continued checking his vitals.  He couldn't believe he had spent four days unconscious.  Once the nurse removed the thermometer from his mouth, he had more questions.

“Can you tell me what happened to me?  How did I get here?”

The nurse gave his a sympathetic glance.

“I don't know who bought you in but you were the victim of a savage vampire attack.  Honestly, we thought you would die because you had lost so much blood.  Your confusion is normal because of the strong medications you've been given to help your body heal and rest.  The doctor should be in shortly to give you more details.”

Miroku frowned. He continued to pester the nurse

“Why am I still human? It's daytime so I obviously didn't turn into a vampire.”

This time the nurse looked at him in surprise. “Don't you know, sir? In order to become a vampire, you have to take in the vampire's blood at the point of death. Apparently, you were rescued before that happened. When you were bought in, your wounds were bleeding profusely but you weren't quite deceased.”

He wasn't pleased with the gaps in his memory but additional answers would have to wait until the doctor came to check him.  Returning his attention to the nurse, he made note of her name.

“So…Yoshi-san, will I be seeing you again?” 

A faint blush tinged her cheeks.  “Yes, sir.  I'm your assigned nurse.” 

Giving her his best rakish gaze, he responded, “Well, if you are assigned to me, I insist that you call me Miroku.”

The young nurse's blush only deepened.  “Yes, si-Miroku.”

Before Miroku could further attempt to entice the young nurse, the door to his room opened.   Miroku was surprised to see another young lady enter the room.  Wondering maybe, perhaps he had died instead and gone to Nirvana, he watched with great interest as she walked in and stood at the foot of the bed.  She was a dark-haired, petite beauty with blue-gray eyes.

“Mr. Satou, I'm Kagome Higurashi.  I really have some matters of great importance to discuss with you.”  Looking pointedly at the nurse, she added, “In private.”

The young nurse looked flustered and bowing, she hurriedly left the room.  Miroku frowned at the woman before him.  He was fond of the young nurse and hated to see her treated so rudely. 

“There was no need to be so rude to the young lady.  I don't even know who you are.” 

Kagome huffed.  “I'll make sure to apologize to her on the way out.  I don't have much time.  I'm here to save your life.”

Miroku laughed and gingerly touched his neck.  “Someone already beat you to it!”

Shaking her head, Kagome explained.  “The vamp that attacked was not a new vampire looking for a meal.  She had every intention of either killing you or turning you for her master.”

While Miroku was digesting this information, Kagome crossed the floor and sat in the room's only chair.  She understood this was a lot to hear but knew Miroku needed to know as much as she could share at the moment.

Miroku could feel his mind reeling.  What he couldn't understand was what reason would anyone have try and kill him?

“I'm not anyone special.  Why would I be a target?”

“Mr. Satou, I can feel your spiritual aura.  It is powerful.  Anyone with supernatural ability can feel it.  It was only a matter of time before you became a target.  Anyone with the spiritual strength you possess is a danger to any supernatural being.”

Miroku could feel his breath catching in his chest.  He left the monastery two years before, dissatisfied with living the life of a monk.  He had never understood why his old teacher, Mushin, kept after him to return `for his safety' as Mushin put it.  He had known he had certain abilities but he never treated them as anything special.  If anything, he tried to keep them hidden.  The fact that a total stranger was sitting here discussing them greatly disturbed Miroku. 

“So why are you here, Ms. Higurashi?”

Kagome opened her purse and took out several items.

“Right now, I'm here to put a protection ward on your room.  You'll have to be hospitalized several more days so this can protect you from unwelcome visitors.”

Miroku watched as the woman moved around his hospital room, quietly chanting and placing several slips of paper with strange kanji around the door and windows.  Returning to her purse, she took out a plain white envelope.

“Secondly, I was asked to give you this.  The organization I work for can help you train and focus your abilities.  After training, you will be offered a job working for us.  If you are interested, just follow the instructions in the letter.”

Placing the envelope in Miroku's hand, Kagome picked up her purse and headed for the door.

“Wait a minute.  What if I don't believe any of this?  What if I just go on my way?”

Kagome paused at the door.  Looking back, she gave a dazzling smile.

“Then, Mr. Satou, you take your own chances with a master vampire.”

She then exited the room, leaving a flabbergasted man listening to her heels click into the distance. 

ooOOoo 

Standing in front of the building, the dark haired man double-checked the address on the letter.  The letter only contained the address of the building and the name of the person he was to contact.  It had been a week since Kagome's mysterious visit to his hospital room.  Looking around, Miroku could feel a chill run down his spine.  Kagome's final words to him never left his mind; the sooner he could get some answers and appease his mind the better he'd feel.  Pulling the door open, Miroku stepped inside and went to meet his destiny.