InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fallen Samurai ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 23 )

Well, it had been a while since I updated this fan-fic I know. But the thing is I had a writer's block for a while, and I got caught up in another fanfic of mine and then. . . yeah, sorry about that. But now I can update!

DISCLAIMOR: I AM LEGALLY CHANGING MY NAME TO THE CREATOR OF INUYASHA JUST SO I CAN SAY I OWN HIM AND ALL THE OTHER CHARACTERS....YEAH I WISH. ~.~'

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"It...can't..." Miroku stammered. "Is it really?"

"Miroku!"

Miroku stood there absolutely dumbfounded at the vision that his wide eyes beheld. Was she really there? Was his true love standing there like the goddess she was, wrapped in the moonlight? He had to constantly tell his mind to breathe, for all oxygen completely left his lungs and all he could here was the beating of his heart loudly in his ears, and the sweet angelic voice of his love calling out his name.

Sango jumped from the trees and ran quickly over to Miroku, litterally slamming into him. She held him tightly, trying to bring him as close to her as she could. Miroku stood there in shock for a few seconds, questioning if this was just another one of his wild dreams. The dreams that plagued his mind so many nights of her return to him. But no, he thought, she is really here. He finally brought his arms around her, and once he made sure that she wouldn't dissapear within his arms, held onto her, crushing her into him as she did the same.

"Sango!" he breathed through her hair. "Thank the gods for your safe return!"

Sango looked up with a dazzeling smile. "Oh Miroku, I missed you terribly! I tried for so long to get back to you!

"Sango!" exclaimed Shippou and Kagome.

Kagome embraced her friend with tears in her eyes as Shippou jumped to Sango's shoulder.

"Oh Sango!" cried Kagome. "You had us all so very worried!"

"Yeah," said Shippou. "We thought that Sessho-" but he was cut off by a nudge from Kagome.

"Oh, that's okay," Sango said looking at all her friends. "It's not something that bothers me."

"Yeah, warm fuzzy moments all around," said Inuyasha. "But I'll tell you something that bothers me. Why the hell did Sesshoumaru let you go?"

"Who says he let me go?" Sango asked.

"You escaped?" Kagome asked. Then her eyes went wide and her brows furrowed in confusion. "Oh Sango...how did you.."

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome looked at Sango and then at Inuyasha. "She has a whole bunch of jewel shards!"

"What?!" everyone exclaimed.

Sango smiled. "I knew you'd be able to detect them. Actually, I brought a partial jewel with me; just to make up for lost time that you spent looking for me." Sango undid the chord around her neck and showed them all the partial jewel.

"How did you get so many?" Shippou asked.

"Some I stole, some I found in demon hands, you know, the usual things."

"You stole?" Inuyasha questioned, brow raised. "You didn't steel them from Sesshoumaru did you?"

"Well of course I did. You didn't think I'd let those shards sit there, knowing that this is what you've been looking for. So go ahead, Kagome. Purify the shards and combine them with the ones you already have."

Kagome reached out to touch the jewel and it suddenly glowed with a white light from her purification. The demon prescence that it had been filled with had vanished, and now she continued to place her own shards with the jewel. Her smile broadened when she saw the completion of the jewel, then faltered.

"What is it, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

"There's still a shard missing."

"What?!" Sango exclaimed. Her face fell in dissapointment. "I was sure that I had retreived them all."

"You did your best, Sango," Miroku finally spoke. "All that matters at the moment is that you are safe and sound."

"Oh, Miroku." She looked down and blushed as Miroku gently touched her cheek. Her head then snapped up in sudden realization. "Hey wait a minute, where is Kirara?"

Kagome's face went pale. "Kirara?"

"Yes, she came to save me, but unfortunately failed. I remember that she had inhaled too much of miasma from Sesshoumaru. He and I battled, but I failed in victory, so I have no idea how she fares." Miroku took her hand in both of his, sqeezing them tightly. Sango noticed the solemn expression accross his features. "What? What is it?"

"We must show you something."

"That can wait," said Inuyasha walking up to Sango. "How did you escape from Sesshoumaru? I know you didn't just simply walk out!"

"I spent some time there memorizing the palace and all its hallways and possible exits. I happened to stumble upon a room where the jewel shards were kept, took them and made my escape."

"And Sesshoumaru let you?"

"Of course not! He obviously persued me, but I hid in the forest in a hot spring. I knew he wouldn't be able to detect me in the water so I stayed there. As an extra precaution I covered myself with mud to hide my scent as I traveled, until I knew it was safe."

"Why the interrogation, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously.

"It just strikes me as odd that she could escape from his castle. Sesshoumaru gave up on trying to find her way to easily. He let her go, but the question is why?"

Sango crossed her arms, indignantly. "Or maybe it's just that I have the skill and smarts to outsmart him, Inuyasha! Don't take me or my abilities lightly!"

"Feh."

"Now where is Kirara?"

While they were speaking, they had led Sango to her destroyed village. Once Sango realized where she was, the group could suddenly see the fear that engulfed her eyes.

"I don't understand. I've been gone for so long. . .you're still in the same place. . .you didn't look for me?"

"Give me a break, Sango," huffed Inuyasha. "If we didn't look for you that monk would have suddenly snapped and killed us all in cold blood."

"Hey, I wasn't that bad," Miroku defended.

"But you sure were edgy," said Shippou.

Kagome took Sango by the hand and led her to the memorial stone for her family, and Sango noticed the second that stood beside it. "Sango, we decided to come back to this place because. . .well we thought that this would be the appropriate place to burry her."

Sango's eyes went wide. "W-What?"

"We tried, Sango, we tried our absolute best to cure her. But she had consumed too much miasma already and she had wounds and had traveled so far to get back to us in her troubled state that. . . her body just shut down."

Sango dropped to her knees next to Kirara's memorial stone and picked up a utensil to inscribe the stone much like she had done for her father and brother all those many years ago. And now here she was again, sobbing as she inscribed a message to her dearest friend. My dearest Kirara, thank you for all you have given me, being my truest friend. My eternal love, Sango.

"We are so sorry," Kagome said again.

Sango looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks and immediately Miroku was at her side in an embrace. She clung to him, soaking his robes in her tears. Miroku held tighter, now so protective of her that he wouldn't let anything happen, utterly refused to let anything or anyone make her cry. She was his to protect.

"There's so much to say," she breathed in between sobs.

"You don't have to say anything," Miroku conforted.

"No," she said leaving his embrace. "There's something that you must know."

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

"It's about Naraku."

"What about him?!" Inuyasha growled, ready to pick a fight with him.

"Do you remember I said that he is the one who destroyed my village and my family? Well, during my journey to return to you, I began to remember more of that horrid night."

"You did?" Kagome asked.

"Yes. They came to me in a series of dreams." She wasn't entirely lying, it did come to her in a vision. But she knew she had to mind her words, for Inuyasha could tell if she was lying or not. "It was revealed to me that he. . ." she took deep breaths, for truly it was hard to reveal this horrible truth. ". . .not only he killed my family but he also. . .butchered me."

"What?!"

"What!" Miroku demanded. "What did he do to you!" Sango could clearly see the anger in his eyes. The need for him to just lunge at him with a thousand swords, cutting him up in millions of pieces then making Naraku eat his own flesh. "Sango!"

"HE RAPED ME!!" she cried.

Looks of confusion, disgust, followed by intense rage crossed the features of her comrades, while she sat there crying. Miroku once again wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"That bastard will never touch you again," he ground out between gritted teeth. "I'll kill him with the very curse he gave me!" Sango fell limp in his arms and sighed. "Sango?"

"So. . .tired..."

"Poor thing, she's exhausted," said Kagome. "It's late anyway, we should all be going to bed."

So Miroku carried Sango and all went back to camp to settle in for the night. He placed the already half asleep Sango next to him on his blankets before taking his place beside her, wrapping his arm protectively around her waist. Kagome smiled but motioned for him to be careful. Sango didn't need to feel roaming hands during the night, especially after learning her painful secret. Miroku nodded, knowing this already, and promised he wouldn't do a thing.

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Sango awoke in the middle of the night to see the dying glow of the fire before her. She stiffened at the light touch around her waist and realized Miroku had fallen asleep beside her. She crinkled her nose in disgust and pried his hand away from her. He awoke abruptly and Sango put a finger to his lips before he could say a word.

"Shhh," she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Of course. I just need to relieve myself. You go back to sleep."

"I'll wait for you."

"No, dear," she whispered kissing the tip of his nose. "Sleep."

He closed his eyes wearily and fell asleep. She knew she had to cast a small spell on him otherwise he'd most likely follow her. And where she was heading, she didn't need to be followed.

After making sure that all was quiet, she krept without a sound even audible to Inuyasha, away from the campsite. She snickered to herself. Her new powers as a demon were able to let her mask her demon scent, so Inuyasha had absolutely no clue that he was walking amidst a demoness. Her green eyes had gone back to brown, and her tail and ears vanished. She looked just the way she left them, and so far, no suspicions were arrising.

She made her way to the lake; the lake that she had so many memories; the lake where Sesshoumaru saved her. And just as she had suspected, there he was, standing amidst the moonlit waters, the small waves lapping against his ankles. She went up to him and without warning, slapped him in the face with such speed that even he was suprised she struck him.

"Idiot!" she spat. "How could you!"

Sesshoumaru grabbed a firm hold of her wrist. "Do you mind explaining your reason for striking me?" His eyes were angered slits, but he made sure to keep it in check.

"You killed Kirara!"

Sesshoumaru was silent. Kirara. That was the name of that neko demon that tried to rescue Sango that one night of the thunderstorm. The night he first fought with her and experienced her grace and strong will. Yes, he recalled how the fire cat had collapsed from the intake of too much miasma.

"Such a thing was expected to happen, considering what happened."

"But you killed her!" she exclaimed angrily. She hissed in frustration at him. "Your miasma. . .she was my only friend!"

"Please except my apologies, I had no intention of her death."

"But you did! You did so to bring her down from her flight!"

"Are you saying that you would rather have escaped my castle that night without knowing the truth to your past? Without knowing how evil your comrades are?" He reached out and caressed her cheek. "Without knowing my feelings for you?"

"Such a price shouldn't have been paid."

"I agree. Now, I take it that infiltration has been a success?"

"Of course. They know that there is only one jewel shard that needs to be retrieved. They also think that Naraku is the one that raped me. This will increase their rage and hostility towards him. These two factors combined will make their overconfidence surface, along with their recklessness for their rage."

"Perfect."

"When will you come for me?" Sango asked. "I can't stand having that monk touch me when I know who and how he is."

"It won't be long, princess. I will come for you soon. But you must remember, if he advances on you, you must comply otherwise suspicion will surface."

"Must I?" she pouted. She ran her hands up his arms and around her shoulders. "You know I'd much rather prefer for you to touch me."

Sesshoumaru growled in arousal and claimed her lips in a bruising kiss. He held her tight, beding her back to mold her body into his. Sango moaned, biting and sucking at his lucious lips, begging to taste his velvet tounge. He ground his hips against hers, and she met him at every thrust. Finally he pulled away, receiving an angry growl from Sango.

"Why do you stop?" she demanded.

"You mustn't stay long, or your prescense will be missed."

"I don't care."

"Nor I, but if I had my way with you again, I would need more than just a few measly minutes."

"Oh really?" she asked, raising a delicate brow.

"Certainly. But I promise," he said kissing the tip of her nose, "after all is done and you finally come away with me, there will be many nights of endless pleasure."

Sango blushed and reluctantly stepped away from his warm embrace. "All right then. Until next time."

"Until next time, princess." With that he arose on a clouded mist of miasma back to his castle grounds.

Sango watched him leave until he was no more than a silver gleam in the moonlight. She wanted him to stay with her, but she had a new duty to fulfill. So with that, she masked her scent and Sesshoumaru's from where he once stood, and returned to camp.

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Chapter 22 complete. I honestly can't tell you when this story will end. At the very most five more chapters, but I don't think it will be that long. Thank you again for reading and for your reviews. I hope to update again soon due to the hurricane that's coming this weekend. Ja ne minna-san!

~*~Lady Pheonix~*~