InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double Vision ❯ Chapter 30 ( Chapter 29 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The last thing Miroku remembered, he was running for the front door of inn. He asked himself what he had been thinking leaving Sango at such a time, when it was nearly her time to give birth. He grabbed Grandpa’s sleeve on his way out. “Tell Inuyasha to do what he will, I must return to Edo!” He practically tripped on his way down the steps, and was soon heading westward out of town.

Sango didn’t know how long she had been walking during her blackout, but she surely she should be getting tired by now. The sun had come up quite some time ago, and they continued to soldier on. She figured her lack of fatigue was probably because of her “mood disorder”. She was also not hungry, which didn’t surprise her in the least. Sango was accustomed to her appetite coming and going. Kagome had told her a long time ago about eating disorders when she noticed that Sango would sometimes go for days without eating, even when there was plenty of food. Kagome thought that Sango felt bad about Kohaku and what had happened to her tribe, so she didn’t feel like she deserved to enjoy food. She went on to explain mood disorders. She thought Sango might be bipolar. She explained that this was a term used in her time to describe people who went through periods of almost superhuman energy, creativity, and productivity, only to enter another stage where they felt overwhelmed by life and suffered greatly from depression. She told Sango that it was very important that they speak regularly about how Sango was feeling. Even when they were very busy with their responsibilities to the village, they made a point to meet at the hot spring to bathe and engage in what Kagome called “girl talk”. Kagome’s understanding of her situation was an epiphany for Sango, and as always she was amazed at the power Kagome had to make her feel better. She knew she should try to eat, even if she didn’t feel like it. She had to maintain her strength if she were to find Kagome, make sure she was safe, and eliminate anything that was threatening her well-being. She had avoided going into too much detail regarding her mission with Inu, since Sango considered his son Inuyasha, and Rin, who was the closest thing he had to a granddaughter, to be the threat she needed to take out. Sango was surprised that Inu hadn’t asked her if she wanted to stop, or needed to eat. He was a demon, and was capable of great feats of endurance, but he had spent time with human women, and she would have expected him to realize that she needed to eat and rest. For all his charm, he certainly wasn’t very solicitous. Since she had no desire to waste unnecessary time, she let the matter slide.

As they walked, Inu asked her about her life as a demon slayer. Sango told him that she and her brother were the last of their tribe, which had resided in a fortified village in the Eastern Mountains near Midoriko’s cave. He told her he had “known” Midoriko, and that she was a powerful warrior. Sango grimaced at the emphasis he placed on the word “known”. She really didn’t want to hear the gruesome details, so she asked him what he knew about the history of her village. He told her many interesting and entertaining tales of her ancestors and their adventures, and the time passed pleasantly.

Suddenly Inu became silent. His body language was very much like Inuyasha’s when he was listening and scenting the air, and Sango reacted as she would if she were in Inuyasha’s company. ‘Something’s coming.’ She readied her bone, her best long-range weapon of deadly force.

Inu softly whispered, close to her ear “I’ll be back.” He faded into the forest like a great white ghost. Sango didn’t know whether he was scouting out the danger or leaving her to face it on her own. She could hide in the woods and spy on whatever was coming, but that wasn’t Sango’s style. She readied herself for combat, only to be surprised and shocked at what, or rather who, she saw heading down the roadway from the east.

A monk dressed in black and purple robes was making his way swiftly in her direction. Only Miroku had such a long, ground-eating stride. Forced to adapt to traveling in the company of Inuyasha, Miroku possessed almost inhuman endurance and could cover distances with amazing quickness on foot. When Miroku saw Sango standing there in her demon slayer uniform, he ran forward and tried to take her in his arms. She stepped neatly aside. Accustomed to her stand-offishness, he grasped her free hand in both of his. Her hands were bone-chillingly cold. “Sango, you are much too cold. We need to make a fire and get you warm.” He quickly led her to a clearing near the side of the road. He made her sit on a tree stump, and left to gather wood. He was well-practiced in quickly locating the driest wood available, and came back with an armful of dry pine. The large size of the trees and the density of their branches meant that the lowest branches stayed small, and soon died off. The upper canopy protected these dead twigs from exposure to snow and rain. A few still bore brittle brown needles, which would help start a hot fire quickly. Miroku quickly prepared a fire, using tinder from the small tinder-box he carried with him in his robes, and once it appeared to be going well, went back into the forest to get some bigger pieces of wood. It didn’t take long before he had a nice fire going and had prepared a little campsite for his wife, who had yet to speak to him.

“What are you doing here, Sango?” Sango wondered how long it would take him to notice that she was no longer pregnant. She gave him to the count of three. One… Two… Three…

“Sango! The baby!”

“Is back in the village, monk.”

“Why did you leave our baby in the village? What are you doing way the hell out here?” He suddenly looked ashamed. “Were you looking for me?”

“Of course not, my devoted husband. I performed my duty to you. Your child awaits you in Edo. I am on another mission, which is no concern of yours.”

Miroku looked at Sango in shock. He knew she was tough, but when had she grown so cold? She hadn’t even told him if the baby was a girl or a boy. He took her hand again, alarmed that it still felt just as cold as it had earlier.

“Sango, I may not have given you reason to believe so in the past, but everything about you is of concern to me. I want to be a better husband to you. Something has happened that I need to speak with you about, but right now I’m really worried about how cold you are. We need to do something to warm you up.”

“Don’t even think of it, monk!”

“Sango, I didn’t mean anything like that! What do you take me for?”

She just smirked at that. “I appreciate the fire monk, and I admit I should probably eat something as well. Do you carry any provisions on you?” Miroku handed over a small packet of dried meat, but she didn’t taste it, just tucked it into her boot. “Now, I have places to go and things to do. If you care about your family at all, you should go to Edo and check on the well-being of your children.”

“Will you return to Edo when you have completed your mission?” He gave her his patented look, his big purple eyes wistful, lower lip slightly pouting. Sango was a hard sell, but it had worked for him before, many times.

“It all depends on the outcome of my mission. Right now, that’s all that matters to me. What you choose to do, or not to do is no longer my concern.”

“My dear Sango, if your mission is so critical, could I not be of service to you?”

“I don’t need you Miroku. I have never needed you. I just thought I did, for a little while. Now I want you to leave me alone.” She softened, but only slightly, when she saw his eyes grow moist with genuine tears. “I’m serious, monk. Our children need you. Go to them. Meet your new child. Try not to disappoint them too much. As to my return, we shall simply have to wait and see. I think I have every right to ask for your forbearance. I waited long enough for you, right?”

“I know that you’ll do what you must, Sango. That’s one of the things I admire about you. You are so strong. Please, try to rest, at least until the morrow, and try to eat and stay warm.”

“I will, husband. Now, go back to Edo. If Kirara is anywhere about, send her to me.”

“Farewell, my dear Sango.” He stooped down, and kissed her softly and chastely on her lips. He headed off down the road toward the west, looking back once and waveing as he was about to go out of sight.