InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Egypt Bound ❯ Dirty Rotten Past ( Chapter 10 )

Chp. 10 Dirty, Rotten Past

`What a refreshing nap!' Thought Kagome to herself as she stretched and yawned. Her still blurry vision made out the clock on the wall: it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon. She got up and went to the ceramic wash basin to rinse the dust and sweat off of her face and neck. She looked at herself in the small mirror and saw a disheveled guttersnipe staring back at her. Believe it or not, she felt normal for once; all of this dressing up and putting on a perfect mask was getting to be too much for her.

`I just want a husband I don't have to pretend for-but how could I face my family if I don't produce an outstanding suitor? I mean, Naraku is acting a bit peculiar, and Sesshomaru doesn't seem to have any interest at all, except whenever Naraku is around. I do enjoy both his and Rin's company, but it feels so….odd. Oh well, at least we will be sightseeing soon so maybe everyone will perk up. This traveling is about to do me in!'

Kagome heard the door slide open and saw Sango's head poke through. "Oh, hello Sango! Did you get a moment to sit down and rest?" Kagome asked cheerfully.

"Uh, no I didn't. You are to bathe in about a quarter o' an hour. I'll `scort you to the baths then. Then there's afternoon tea, you might not want to miss that-oh, and Rin asked if you would dine with her and her `uncle' tonight," Sango replied. Kagome noticed that she looked slightly more pale than usual-as a matter of fact, she looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Um, Sango, is there something wrong?" Kagome inquired. Sango fidgeted and sat down on the lower bunk; she folded her hands in her lap and stared at the floor. A deep sigh issued from her breast-----something was definitely wrong.

"Kagome…..I have something to tell you….something very important that could change the way you see this whole trip….and me. I haven't told you until now because I didn't believe that the situation was going to get this grim, " Sango saw Kagome's face go from concerned to scared as those last few words left her lips.

"What situation do you mean? What happened?"

Sango took another deep breath-----this was going to be the longest confession of her life.

"Well, let me start from the beginning----oh, an' you might want to sit down for this, it's gonna take a while---- before I knew you, I worked on steamers as a ladies' maid and sent most of the money home to my family whenever the ship came back to port in England. Now, you probably already know that my Da died, right? (Kagome nodded her head in agreement) Well, he didn't die a natural death, and it weren't an accident that killed him either…he was murdered----right in front of me an' me brother on Christmas Day,"

"Oh dear God!" Kagome gasped.

Tears were beginning to gather at the edges of Sango's eyes as she continued, " and the ones who done it were hired by your prospective suitor Naraku. Those filthy bastards shot me father right as `e came in the door with our bloody Christmas pudding! Because me Da didn't want to work for `im anymore! He was tired of the lying, the cheating, the forgery, and all the people he had to kill to get what Naraku wanted. He wanted to live a clean life-start over, and so did me Ma. So he came clean wit' the law and the museums and "donated" some of the treasures he had made fakes of ,and gave the fakes to Naraku." Sango broke down and Kagome grabbed a towel off of the basin rack and wiped her tears.

"There, there…calm yourself. So Naraku had your Dad killed because he wouldn't cooperate on forging things?" Sango sniffed and nodded. "Like what kinds of things was your dad making forgeries of?" Kagome asked with an unexpected calm. Sango had half expected her to run out of the room in disbelief, not to be calm and motherly about it.

"He-he forged stuff from ancient graves, Egyptian graves; like burying masks and jewelery, statues, and tomb stuff. Naraku had him robbin' graves with other thugs and then taking the loot, copying it, and sellin' the fakes to private collectors or museums. He and me Mum worked for Naraku. Me Da took two orig'nal pieces back with `im to England for to show the authorities so they'd grant `im immunity from Naraku,"

"What'd he bring back?"

"A burial mask and a heart scarab. He already gave the museum in England the mask, but told me to keep the scarab safe so if I ever end up in Egypt, to give it to someone who knows about it, anything to keep it from Naraku." Sango explained.

"Oh….so what's so important about the scarab? Didn't he tell you? And why keep it out of Naraku's hands?" Kagome asked, her interest piqued.

" I don't know. Alls I know is that it's valuable for some reason….and now Naraku knows who I am, and that I have something that he desperately wants. But, he thinks I'm hiding the mask-----he doesn't know about the scarab. But he does know that I have something and that you are my mistress---so now he'll try and use you to get to me."

"How do you know this?"

"He threatened me earlier-if I don't produce it, we're dead. He can arrange anything here in Egypt! He has tons of men who work for him! Which is why we are so lucky to have Lord Sesshomaru with us. He's one of the men who knows that Naraku has some kind of racket going on and can help us!" Sango said desperately.

Now everything began to make sense: Naraku's insistance that she be alone with him, by his side all the time; Sesshomaru's urging for Kagome to become friends with Rin; His odd behavior and interference at the ball on her first night on the ship; the odd moments when Naraku talked to that toady of his; the assistant's snotty behavior towards Sango on the platform….yes, yes, now it all made sense!

"Ohmigod! It all makes sense now!" Kagome gasped in revelation.

"Yes, an' Naraku insists that I hand him over whatever he thinks I have when we get to Cairo, or we are dead as doornails. Go to dinner with Rin tonight and stay cool around Naraku if you run into him---pardon my French ---but we're in some deep shit!" Sango's confession scared the crap out of Kagome, now that she knew that her grandfather had no clue about the man he picked out for her to seduce into marriage---he didn't know that Naraku was nothing more than a glorified thug.

"Dear God Sango how long did you know this? Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have led him on if youda told me! I asked you about him when we were back on the ship! Why didn't you tell me NOT to go for him?" Kagome hissed.

"I….I didn't think he'd notice me, or even know what I looked like since he murdered me Da when I was eight---O God Kagome I'm soooo sorry! I didn't mean to bring you into this I swear! Swear to God!" Kagome was pissed, but not at Sango---the target of her anger was Naraku, the man her grandfather and mother had drilled into her head to marry at any cost. She had to keep a cool head in this, lest she send both her and Sango to certain death.

Kagome sighed. " Sango, Listen, I know that you didn't intend for this to happen, but it did----we have to try to find someone to help us….someone who has influence….someone who---"

"Sesshomaru." Sango said solemnly.

"What? We can't expect him to help us!" Kagome exclaimed.

" He's our only chance! If he can't help us no one will! Who else knows Naraku like he does? Who else is involved in antiquities? If I brought this thing to Lord Barclay or the Duke they would think I had stole it from a patron! Sesshomaru has dirt on Naraku! C'mon! It makes sense!" Sango explained rather heatedly. Kagome was absolutely fine about going to Sesshomaru for help, but there was one big problem…

"Yeah, it makes sense…but what happens when I return to England with no husband? My family's put all their stock into me---if I don't deliver, their well-being is at stake," Kagome's voice trembled. Sango had forgot about that little detail. She reached out, patted Kagome on the shoulder, and said, " I'm sure we can find you a suitable husband, if I can't, then maybe Sesshomaru knows of some nice, well-off fellow---I've heard from the other passengers that a lot of military officers are in need of a wife---they make a nice chunk o' change." Somehow, that just didn't comfort Kagome; sure, a constant paycheck was nice, but he had no influence over anyone. She didn't want her husband to be someone's lackey-she didn't want to be the wife who kowtows to everyone. But first, she had to make sure that she & Sango were alive to find such a person.

Sango managed to glance at the clock and saw that it was high time Kagome bathed and got ready for tea time, or at least supper. "Kagome, we gotta get you to the bathing room, it's time. I have a feeling that we'll be able to talk better after you've had a dip in the tub, okay? And shall I send that reply to Lord Sesshomaru for dinner?"

"I think you know my answer on that one. It's an offer we can't refuse!" Kagome replied.