InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Identity Crisis ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: ladygriddlebone 
The mystery deepens...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.28.2008 | Updated On: 03.14.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 888 | Status: Completed
The mystery deepens...
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.28.2008 | Updated On: 03.14.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 888 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter Two
It took just over an hour to get to the next village, which was not bad considering they made the entire trip on foot. With the forest so close on either side of the path, it would have been dangerous for Kirara to fly, and it would have been easy to miss the tiny village among the trees had they been in the air.
The travelers glanced warily about as they came to the tree line; the entire village radiated a sense of oppressiveness. Everything was grimy, darkened as if by soot. Despite the pleasant weather, it felt almost as if the sun had not lit this village in a very long time. The darkness they had all felt in the forest, however vaguely, was magnified here to an almost unbearable intensity.
"Can you feel that?" Kagome asked, her voice hushed.
Sango nodded assent. "I can. It's like a demonic aura, but not. It's not exactly like anything I've encountered before."
"It's weird… Like it's been building for days, so slowly that we weren't even aware of it."
When confronted by the aura in its full strength, it did indeed feel as if they had begun to sense it, and be affected by it, days ago. It was intriguing in its strength and subtlety and, at the same time, it was surprisingly sensual. Miroku had occasionally heard rumors, and had once even encountered something similar in the form of a possessed princess, about demons that lured human prey to their deaths by seducing them. Perhaps this was something like that. There was definitely something seductive in the air.
All things considered, Miroku was fairly certain he now had at least a tentative explanation for Kagome and Inuyasha's constant arguing, as well as their sneaking off to spend time together. He could not help the smirk that scrawled itself across his face, even in the face of Sango's withering glare. Despite the displeasure she was trying to convey, and her professional demon-slayer's demeanor, her expression only confirmed that she was thinking along the same lines. Which, of course, only served to widen his grin.
There were few villagers on the streets, but those few quickly turned away and pretended not to notice the newcomers. The travelers could feel the eyes of innumerable others watching them from dark doorways and through holes in the walls of buildings. Miroku could clearly sense his companions' unease, especially in the girls and Shippo. He had to agree: the place was creepy.
Still, as the group's usual go-between with the villages they visited, he knew it was his job to find out whatever he could about what was going on. He split off from the group - Sango's watchful look not escaping his notice, though he did not let on - and set about finding a likely candidate. He was about to give up when he spotted her, a lovely young woman that was walking down the path by herself.
After a careful and thorough look for any sign of Sango, he strode toward the girl purposefully and took one of her hands in both of his. He remembered his decision of the night before, but figured what Sango did not know would not hurt her. "Would you do me the honor of bearing my child?" He could always insist that the words slipped out as a matter of habit; after all, it was his traditional greeting, at least when introducing himself to beautiful women.
The girl was clearly flustered. "Well, I… that's very forward of you, lord monk."
"My humblest apologies. It is simply that when I meet a girl as lovely as you, I cannot resist," he explained cheerfully. Out of the corner of one eye he saw the rest of the group approaching and, of necessity, was suddenly on his best behavior. "Now, can you tell me… what is the source of the dark aura that surrounds this place?"
She would not look at him, even going so far as to pull her hand away. "I-it started a while ago," she stammered, clearly telling him something she had been ordered not to. "I've been told it began in the village just north of here, and it's been spreading ever since." Her hands were clasped just below her mouth; the villagers were obviously not unaware of what was going on, they were simply unable to do anything about it.
"Don't you worry," he said soothingly. "My friends and I will take care of it – that's what we do. How far is it to this village you speak of?"
-----
Not far, as it turned out. Villagers were always saying that when asked how far away something was, but in this case they were not exactly lying. The proper road that went to the next village meandered across the countryside before reentering the forest, but there was a smaller path that followed a much more direct route. As soon as it was discovered that the travelers intended to rid the area of the source of its trouble, the villagers were eager to show them the way.
All in all, Sango thought it well done. It was probably a trap, of course, but at least they were headed in what was presumably the right direction now. And Kagome and Inuyasha appeared to be on speaking terms once more.
Midday came and went, and still the path wound its way into the forest. Afternoon was well on its way before they came to the first clearing; it did not take them long to realize that something was amiss. Inuyasha had been on the alert for quite some time, but had stuck with the group at Kagome's insistence. Everyone froze as a sudden crash echoed through the otherwise silent forest.
Kagome closed her eyes, concentrating hard, and found what she was looking for: youki. "It's another demon!" she called out, uselessly. The thing, another boar demon, had already noticed the trespassers and was charging straight at them.
Inuyasha cursed the ever-changing wind for not carrying the demon's scent to him sooner, and readied Tetsusaiga. He did not seem to care that the others had also been oblivious until the creature was practically on top of them; it only mattered that he had been unaware. "Haven't we run into enough of these things already?"
"I'll take care of it," Sango grumbled, her bad mood obvious to all and only spurred on by Inuyasha's grouchiness. Inuyasha opened his mouth to voice an annoyed protest, but Sango was already mid-attack. The forest was close against the path, leaving little room for an attack with Hiraikotsu, but she attempted it anyway. Getting into close enough range to use her sword would almost certainly mean injury. And so with long-honed precision, she hurled the boomerang so that it slammed directly into the demon's snout with a sickening crack, easily avoiding the encroaching vegetation.
It was clear from the first blow that she had the advantage, and she made short work of dispatching the creature, though her mood showed no sign of improvement for the effort. Her little display did nothing to improve Inuyasha's temper either; the hanyou grumbled the whole time, impatient at being excluded.
At the final blow, Hiraikotsu bounced off the demon's hide and into the forest; the boar toppled over and did not move even to draw breath.
When the dust settled, it was clear that although the demon was dead, they were not alone.
A small group of humans was watching them. They had obviously been tracking the demon with the intention of killing it, at least to judge by the weapons they carried and the armor they wore. Calmly ignoring the looks of surprise and outright stares from the human group, Sango went to retrieve her weapon.
One of the men, presumably the leader, called to her. "Stop! Who are you, that you could defeat such a demon on your own?"
"I'm a demon slayer," she explained curtly, more intent on finding her weapon than answering questions. Finally locating Hiraikotsu, nearly half embedded in the soft earth from the force of her final blow, she set about freeing it. It took an absurd amount of effort to pull the weapon free, at least so far as she was concerned. She must have been angrier than she thought when she threw it, to put that much force into it.
"A demon slayer? I'd heard they were all dead." This earned a scowl from Sango, which only deepened when the man continued, "And you travel in the company of demons?"
"Yes, I do," she said, her tone dangerous, as she came to stand with her friends again.
Wisely, the men did not seem inclined to ask more questions. After a brief discussion, the group seemed to come to a decision. Their leader stepped forward. "No mind, you are still responsible for saving our village from the ravages of this demon, and we will honor your victory with a feast and our hospitality. If you would follow us back to our village…"
-----
The village was larger than they had thought it would be, considering how tiny the previous village had been, and appeared to have once been prosperous. One of the men had explained that, a few months back, a strange presence had made itself known in the vicinity, and had eventually scared off all the traders and merchants that might otherwise have wandered through. Having seen no demons himself, the man confided that he would have thought the whole thing a ridiculous rumor were it not for the sense of despair that grew stronger the closer one got to the village.
To the travelers, more experienced in battling demons, it sounded a lot like a demon infestation. After they were settled at the village's best inn, Inuyasha and Kagome headed off to investigate and explore the village, leaving their companions to rest.
All of which left Sango in a rather uncomfortable predicament.
She was standing on the inn's spacious porch, leaning against one of the thick pillars that supported the building's roof. Out of the corner of one eye, she was watching Miroku. It was not obvious, because she spent most of the time carefully surveying the village around them, but she did not quite trust him sitting so close behind her, even if he did insist that he was meditating.
The village was currently bustling with activity in preparation for the night's feast in her honor, but Sango felt that something seemed amiss. She frowned, unable to put her finger on exactly what was bothering her.
She felt restless, and could not seem to stop fidgeting. She knew that, as good guests, they were supposed to wait patiently while the feast was prepared, but she itched to do something in the meantime. But with Kagome and Inuyasha wandered off to explore, taking Shippo with them at her request, she was left with only Miroku to talk to. She supposed that even if he was not busily pretending to be meditating she would have a hard time talking to him. She was still a bit angry over the way he had teased her the night before, and besides, he always put a perverted spin on everything. Well, almost always. Often enough to be annoying, at least.
Sango sighed. Nothing could ever be clear-cut with Miroku.
"Is something the matter, Sango?" Miroku, finally having given up on the pretense of meditation, came to stand beside her.
She glanced at him sidelong. "I thought you were meditating."
His voice serious, he informed her, "That is how I knew you were upset. Your aura shifted and -"
"I don't want to hear it, monk."
"Why Sango, what has gotten into you?" His voice was playful, but it did not escape her notice that the hand closest to her had curled into a tight fist.
"I don't know what you mean."
They lapsed into silence then, the kind of awkward silence that made Sango want to slink away and pretend the conversation had never happened.
Finally, Miroku spoke up. "I am truly sorry if what I said last night offended you."
That caught her somewhat off guard. It was not really so much the apology - Miroku was always apologizing for something, or making excuses for his bad behavior - but the seriousness in his voice. It sounded as if he might really mean it.
"I- I'm not offended," she protested, awkwardly and too late. No, it was not entirely his fault that she was feeling so strangely; he was just not making it any better.
She did not want to, but felt compelled to look at him. His gaze was serious, even more so than his voice. "If you insist. But surely you've noticed that you have been acting on edge lately."
Her face flushed a little bit. If she was acting on edge, it was only because everything around her was so weird lately. Weird seemed a safe word for what she had been feeling. It was better to ignore what she had actually been feeling, and just call the whole thing weird, than to admit that she had wondered, more than once over the past couple of days, what it would be like to sneak off into the forest with Miroku the way Kagome did with Inuyasha.
What would Miroku do, if she agreed to go with him? Would he kiss her, touch her all over? What would that feel like? Surely it could be no less exciting than what her mind dreamed up. Her whole body felt warm at the thought, a deeper longing settling low in her belly, between her legs.
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, deliberately ignoring the scrutiny with which Miroku was observing her.
"Sango. Are you feeling all right?"
"Y-yes. I'm fine. Why do you keep asking?" He had startled her again, though she was loathe to admit it.
"It's just that I'm worried about you," he admitted. "It seems that something has to be bothering you, for you to be acting like this."
She wished he wouldn't pry so much. "I'd like to have a look around the village." Changing the subject seemed like a safe idea.
Miroku took the hint, though she caught the cautious expression on his face before he managed to completely mask it with cheerful impassivity. "Ah, but then you would interfere with Inuyasha and Kagome's 'alone time,'" he sneered, hoping to amuse her.
She grinned right back. "That's why I sent Shippo with them. If they want to keep me penned up 'resting' here, then they can watch after the kitsune so I actually can get some rest."
For a long moment her only answer was a low chuckle from the monk. "You do realize that your diabolical plan has left you all alone with me?"
When he spoke his breath was hot against the skin of her neck, and she realized that over the course of their conversation he had been inching slowly closer to her. And now he was standing very close to her indeed; too close. Her whole body was heated from the not-quite contact. Suddenly terrified, she knew she had to get away before things got out of hand.
He took a deep breath, almost as if he were smelling her. She almost thought she heard him whisper her name. She wanted to squirm, to edge slowly away from him, but was caught with the support beam on one side and Miroku on the other. It was taking all of her willpower not to squirm uncomfortably. Ever so reluctantly she had to admit that she was curious as to what he might do next; a simple movement of his arms, and she would be trapped, not exactly unwillingly, in his embrace. But he did not move.
Why isn't he doing anything, she wondered, refusing to give her annoyance deeper thought, lest she be forced to admit that she wanted him to do something. I'll never understand that man!
The longer he remained so close to her, the more certain she became that he was going to do something that would annoy her - instead of the vague and ethereal something she wanted him to do - which would almost certainly involve his hand and her ass. Her lips twisted into a frown just as the innkeeper's daughter burst out from within the building to announce that the feast was nearly ready. The instant he heard footsteps coming their way, Miroku had quickly stepped away from her. She felt his absence more keenly than she would have liked.
Sango sent Kirara to round up the other members of their group, though it was some time before the rather harried demon returned with Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo in tow. Apparently Inuyasha had done everything in his considerable power to get Shippo to leave him and Kagome alone, and Shippo could not seem to stop talking about it despite Kagome's blushes and Inuyasha's insistence that he shut up.
Sango found herself giggling at their antics, but the good mood evaporated quickly once they joined the rest of the villagers in the inn's common room for the feast. Inuyasha immediately reverted to his ordinary, grumpy self, embarrassing the rest of the group, especially when he pointed out, rather loudly, that Sango was getting special treatment. Knowing that he was correct only made Sango feel worse.
Kagome sat by in silence, remarkably composed, before urging Sango to enjoy her status as village hero. "It's nice to be appreciated!" she quipped cheerfully, narrowing her eyes at Inuyasha.
Deciding it was probably safest to avoid asking why Kagome was hinting at Inuyasha that she was not appreciated enough, Sango focused on her food. As the hero who had actually slain the demon, she was entitled to larger portions than the others, although she had protested, and had also been given a dish that the locals explained was a delicacy reserved only for certain special occasions.
It was a nondescript dish of rice and vegetables, though it smelled as if it were strongly seasoned. Sango was not quite sure that she wanted to try it, wondering vaguely what the ingredients might be, but she caught Miroku watching her out of the corner of one eye. She wondered whether he wanted her to eat it or to back out, or share with the rest of the group.
She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when the headman approached her. He was a handsome man, in a way, she thought. But what made her uncomfortable was the sense that she no longer had a choice as to whether or not to eat the hero's food.
"Honored slayer, please eat!" the headman urged, watching her intently. He almost looked as if he were about to clasp her hands in his and plead more formally. She wanted to look to Kagome or Miroku for advice but knew it would be rude to do so.
She bowed her head, muttered something that might have been an affirmative, and set to eating. It was spicy and hot, but certainly not bad. Sango found herself almost laughing at her earlier trepidation. When had she become so suspicious of the hospitality of others?
With that settled, the rest of the feast passed by quickly and relatively comfortably. Sango even offered some of the special 'hero's' dish to the others once she had eaten her fill, though under Kagome's stern glare they politely - or impolitely and begrudgingly, in Inuyasha's case - declined. When the food was finally gone, the travelers were shown to the rooms they would share; for propriety's sake, Kagome, Sango, and Kirara would share one room, with Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo in an adjacent room.
Before she could enter the room with the others, the headman pulled Sango aside. He gave no indication of what might be going on until they rounded the corner and were completely alone. "Would you do me the honor of joining me tonight, honored hero?" he asked, his voice hushed but almost... urgent.
A bit stunned by the sudden request, Sango could only shake her head no. She pulled away from him even as his grip tightened on her hand, and fled back to Kagome and the others. Best not to be caught alone, if that was his intention.
"What was that about?" Kagome asked as Sango, gratefully, slid the door shut behind her.
"Nothing," Sango murmured, hoping that would be the end of it. For once, mercifully, it was.
Everything was quiet, almost subdued, as the girls prepared for bed and settled into their respective futons. Kagome was asleep in minutes, the even sound of her breathing sounded comforting to Sango, but the slayer could not get to sleep. Kirara curled up next to her, purring, and allowed Sango to pet her. Sango watched the cat demon with interest as she ran her fingers through the thick fur.
It was a long time before sleep finally claimed her.
-----
Sango had no intention of leaving the room that night, despite the headman's invitation, but she felt strangely compelled. It was as if she watched herself rise from the futon and sneak away without so much as rousing Kirara. Even if she wanted to cry out for help, she was trapped and her throat closed tightly against the slightest noise. Slowly, surely, she walked to the headman's elegant home; her mind struggled against whatever spell bound her but could not regain control.
The guards - she thought it a bit odd that the headman's household had armed guards, considering the size of the village – admitted her wordlessly, as if they did not even see her. The headman himself was waiting for her in the courtyard. She could not remember his name, but knew it was unimportant. He offered an arm and asked, "Shall we take a walk, my lady?" Against her will and better judgment, she accepted.
As he led her out into the forest, his grip firm on her wrist, she cursed her own foolishness, for now she was well and truly trapped. If they had stayed in the village there was always the chance that Inuyasha or Miroku might hear something amiss, but if something happened to her in the forest there was little chance that her friends, much less any human, would overhear. Where was Miroku when she actually needed his help?
Instead she was forced to follow docilely and pray she could regain control of herself before something awful happened – and if the headman's behavior at dinner was any indication of his intentions, she thought she knew what he had in mind. And she wanted no part of it. She kept her ears open for any sign that her friends were aware that she was missing; everything was quiet save the soft sounds of the forest around them.
And when he opened a trap door in the middle of nowhere, she despaired. If no one was going to save her and she could not break free on her own, she would just have to endure. But instead of ushering her into the tunnel, he merely stood back and held the door open, leaving her to stand in front of the gaping hole in the ground and wonder what was going on.
There was no ladder at all, as if someone had covered up a hole in the ground rather than a manmade passage. It could almost be confused for an animal's den, were it not for the obviously human-created covering and the fact that it extended straight down into the ground. As she watched, the headman slowly slipped away, leaving her alone with the hole, but still unable to control her actions.
For a long, uncomfortable moment nothing happened. And then enormous arms, snakelike but unlike any animal or demon Sango had ever seen, swept out of the hole, catching hold of her, dragging her down. Worst of all, she could not even struggle.
Panic and instinct won out over whatever spell had gripped her. Even if she could not fight, she had to at least alert the others. She screamed as the monster pulled her into the abyss.
Chapter Two
It took just over an hour to get to the next village, which was not bad considering they made the entire trip on foot. With the forest so close on either side of the path, it would have been dangerous for Kirara to fly, and it would have been easy to miss the tiny village among the trees had they been in the air.
The travelers glanced warily about as they came to the tree line; the entire village radiated a sense of oppressiveness. Everything was grimy, darkened as if by soot. Despite the pleasant weather, it felt almost as if the sun had not lit this village in a very long time. The darkness they had all felt in the forest, however vaguely, was magnified here to an almost unbearable intensity.
"Can you feel that?" Kagome asked, her voice hushed.
Sango nodded assent. "I can. It's like a demonic aura, but not. It's not exactly like anything I've encountered before."
"It's weird… Like it's been building for days, so slowly that we weren't even aware of it."
When confronted by the aura in its full strength, it did indeed feel as if they had begun to sense it, and be affected by it, days ago. It was intriguing in its strength and subtlety and, at the same time, it was surprisingly sensual. Miroku had occasionally heard rumors, and had once even encountered something similar in the form of a possessed princess, about demons that lured human prey to their deaths by seducing them. Perhaps this was something like that. There was definitely something seductive in the air.
All things considered, Miroku was fairly certain he now had at least a tentative explanation for Kagome and Inuyasha's constant arguing, as well as their sneaking off to spend time together. He could not help the smirk that scrawled itself across his face, even in the face of Sango's withering glare. Despite the displeasure she was trying to convey, and her professional demon-slayer's demeanor, her expression only confirmed that she was thinking along the same lines. Which, of course, only served to widen his grin.
There were few villagers on the streets, but those few quickly turned away and pretended not to notice the newcomers. The travelers could feel the eyes of innumerable others watching them from dark doorways and through holes in the walls of buildings. Miroku could clearly sense his companions' unease, especially in the girls and Shippo. He had to agree: the place was creepy.
Still, as the group's usual go-between with the villages they visited, he knew it was his job to find out whatever he could about what was going on. He split off from the group - Sango's watchful look not escaping his notice, though he did not let on - and set about finding a likely candidate. He was about to give up when he spotted her, a lovely young woman that was walking down the path by herself.
After a careful and thorough look for any sign of Sango, he strode toward the girl purposefully and took one of her hands in both of his. He remembered his decision of the night before, but figured what Sango did not know would not hurt her. "Would you do me the honor of bearing my child?" He could always insist that the words slipped out as a matter of habit; after all, it was his traditional greeting, at least when introducing himself to beautiful women.
The girl was clearly flustered. "Well, I… that's very forward of you, lord monk."
"My humblest apologies. It is simply that when I meet a girl as lovely as you, I cannot resist," he explained cheerfully. Out of the corner of one eye he saw the rest of the group approaching and, of necessity, was suddenly on his best behavior. "Now, can you tell me… what is the source of the dark aura that surrounds this place?"
She would not look at him, even going so far as to pull her hand away. "I-it started a while ago," she stammered, clearly telling him something she had been ordered not to. "I've been told it began in the village just north of here, and it's been spreading ever since." Her hands were clasped just below her mouth; the villagers were obviously not unaware of what was going on, they were simply unable to do anything about it.
"Don't you worry," he said soothingly. "My friends and I will take care of it – that's what we do. How far is it to this village you speak of?"
-----
Not far, as it turned out. Villagers were always saying that when asked how far away something was, but in this case they were not exactly lying. The proper road that went to the next village meandered across the countryside before reentering the forest, but there was a smaller path that followed a much more direct route. As soon as it was discovered that the travelers intended to rid the area of the source of its trouble, the villagers were eager to show them the way.
All in all, Sango thought it well done. It was probably a trap, of course, but at least they were headed in what was presumably the right direction now. And Kagome and Inuyasha appeared to be on speaking terms once more.
Midday came and went, and still the path wound its way into the forest. Afternoon was well on its way before they came to the first clearing; it did not take them long to realize that something was amiss. Inuyasha had been on the alert for quite some time, but had stuck with the group at Kagome's insistence. Everyone froze as a sudden crash echoed through the otherwise silent forest.
Kagome closed her eyes, concentrating hard, and found what she was looking for: youki. "It's another demon!" she called out, uselessly. The thing, another boar demon, had already noticed the trespassers and was charging straight at them.
Inuyasha cursed the ever-changing wind for not carrying the demon's scent to him sooner, and readied Tetsusaiga. He did not seem to care that the others had also been oblivious until the creature was practically on top of them; it only mattered that he had been unaware. "Haven't we run into enough of these things already?"
"I'll take care of it," Sango grumbled, her bad mood obvious to all and only spurred on by Inuyasha's grouchiness. Inuyasha opened his mouth to voice an annoyed protest, but Sango was already mid-attack. The forest was close against the path, leaving little room for an attack with Hiraikotsu, but she attempted it anyway. Getting into close enough range to use her sword would almost certainly mean injury. And so with long-honed precision, she hurled the boomerang so that it slammed directly into the demon's snout with a sickening crack, easily avoiding the encroaching vegetation.
It was clear from the first blow that she had the advantage, and she made short work of dispatching the creature, though her mood showed no sign of improvement for the effort. Her little display did nothing to improve Inuyasha's temper either; the hanyou grumbled the whole time, impatient at being excluded.
At the final blow, Hiraikotsu bounced off the demon's hide and into the forest; the boar toppled over and did not move even to draw breath.
When the dust settled, it was clear that although the demon was dead, they were not alone.
A small group of humans was watching them. They had obviously been tracking the demon with the intention of killing it, at least to judge by the weapons they carried and the armor they wore. Calmly ignoring the looks of surprise and outright stares from the human group, Sango went to retrieve her weapon.
One of the men, presumably the leader, called to her. "Stop! Who are you, that you could defeat such a demon on your own?"
"I'm a demon slayer," she explained curtly, more intent on finding her weapon than answering questions. Finally locating Hiraikotsu, nearly half embedded in the soft earth from the force of her final blow, she set about freeing it. It took an absurd amount of effort to pull the weapon free, at least so far as she was concerned. She must have been angrier than she thought when she threw it, to put that much force into it.
"A demon slayer? I'd heard they were all dead." This earned a scowl from Sango, which only deepened when the man continued, "And you travel in the company of demons?"
"Yes, I do," she said, her tone dangerous, as she came to stand with her friends again.
Wisely, the men did not seem inclined to ask more questions. After a brief discussion, the group seemed to come to a decision. Their leader stepped forward. "No mind, you are still responsible for saving our village from the ravages of this demon, and we will honor your victory with a feast and our hospitality. If you would follow us back to our village…"
-----
The village was larger than they had thought it would be, considering how tiny the previous village had been, and appeared to have once been prosperous. One of the men had explained that, a few months back, a strange presence had made itself known in the vicinity, and had eventually scared off all the traders and merchants that might otherwise have wandered through. Having seen no demons himself, the man confided that he would have thought the whole thing a ridiculous rumor were it not for the sense of despair that grew stronger the closer one got to the village.
To the travelers, more experienced in battling demons, it sounded a lot like a demon infestation. After they were settled at the village's best inn, Inuyasha and Kagome headed off to investigate and explore the village, leaving their companions to rest.
All of which left Sango in a rather uncomfortable predicament.
She was standing on the inn's spacious porch, leaning against one of the thick pillars that supported the building's roof. Out of the corner of one eye, she was watching Miroku. It was not obvious, because she spent most of the time carefully surveying the village around them, but she did not quite trust him sitting so close behind her, even if he did insist that he was meditating.
The village was currently bustling with activity in preparation for the night's feast in her honor, but Sango felt that something seemed amiss. She frowned, unable to put her finger on exactly what was bothering her.
She felt restless, and could not seem to stop fidgeting. She knew that, as good guests, they were supposed to wait patiently while the feast was prepared, but she itched to do something in the meantime. But with Kagome and Inuyasha wandered off to explore, taking Shippo with them at her request, she was left with only Miroku to talk to. She supposed that even if he was not busily pretending to be meditating she would have a hard time talking to him. She was still a bit angry over the way he had teased her the night before, and besides, he always put a perverted spin on everything. Well, almost always. Often enough to be annoying, at least.
Sango sighed. Nothing could ever be clear-cut with Miroku.
"Is something the matter, Sango?" Miroku, finally having given up on the pretense of meditation, came to stand beside her.
She glanced at him sidelong. "I thought you were meditating."
His voice serious, he informed her, "That is how I knew you were upset. Your aura shifted and -"
"I don't want to hear it, monk."
"Why Sango, what has gotten into you?" His voice was playful, but it did not escape her notice that the hand closest to her had curled into a tight fist.
"I don't know what you mean."
They lapsed into silence then, the kind of awkward silence that made Sango want to slink away and pretend the conversation had never happened.
Finally, Miroku spoke up. "I am truly sorry if what I said last night offended you."
That caught her somewhat off guard. It was not really so much the apology - Miroku was always apologizing for something, or making excuses for his bad behavior - but the seriousness in his voice. It sounded as if he might really mean it.
"I- I'm not offended," she protested, awkwardly and too late. No, it was not entirely his fault that she was feeling so strangely; he was just not making it any better.
She did not want to, but felt compelled to look at him. His gaze was serious, even more so than his voice. "If you insist. But surely you've noticed that you have been acting on edge lately."
Her face flushed a little bit. If she was acting on edge, it was only because everything around her was so weird lately. Weird seemed a safe word for what she had been feeling. It was better to ignore what she had actually been feeling, and just call the whole thing weird, than to admit that she had wondered, more than once over the past couple of days, what it would be like to sneak off into the forest with Miroku the way Kagome did with Inuyasha.
What would Miroku do, if she agreed to go with him? Would he kiss her, touch her all over? What would that feel like? Surely it could be no less exciting than what her mind dreamed up. Her whole body felt warm at the thought, a deeper longing settling low in her belly, between her legs.
She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, deliberately ignoring the scrutiny with which Miroku was observing her.
"Sango. Are you feeling all right?"
"Y-yes. I'm fine. Why do you keep asking?" He had startled her again, though she was loathe to admit it.
"It's just that I'm worried about you," he admitted. "It seems that something has to be bothering you, for you to be acting like this."
She wished he wouldn't pry so much. "I'd like to have a look around the village." Changing the subject seemed like a safe idea.
Miroku took the hint, though she caught the cautious expression on his face before he managed to completely mask it with cheerful impassivity. "Ah, but then you would interfere with Inuyasha and Kagome's 'alone time,'" he sneered, hoping to amuse her.
She grinned right back. "That's why I sent Shippo with them. If they want to keep me penned up 'resting' here, then they can watch after the kitsune so I actually can get some rest."
For a long moment her only answer was a low chuckle from the monk. "You do realize that your diabolical plan has left you all alone with me?"
When he spoke his breath was hot against the skin of her neck, and she realized that over the course of their conversation he had been inching slowly closer to her. And now he was standing very close to her indeed; too close. Her whole body was heated from the not-quite contact. Suddenly terrified, she knew she had to get away before things got out of hand.
He took a deep breath, almost as if he were smelling her. She almost thought she heard him whisper her name. She wanted to squirm, to edge slowly away from him, but was caught with the support beam on one side and Miroku on the other. It was taking all of her willpower not to squirm uncomfortably. Ever so reluctantly she had to admit that she was curious as to what he might do next; a simple movement of his arms, and she would be trapped, not exactly unwillingly, in his embrace. But he did not move.
Why isn't he doing anything, she wondered, refusing to give her annoyance deeper thought, lest she be forced to admit that she wanted him to do something. I'll never understand that man!
The longer he remained so close to her, the more certain she became that he was going to do something that would annoy her - instead of the vague and ethereal something she wanted him to do - which would almost certainly involve his hand and her ass. Her lips twisted into a frown just as the innkeeper's daughter burst out from within the building to announce that the feast was nearly ready. The instant he heard footsteps coming their way, Miroku had quickly stepped away from her. She felt his absence more keenly than she would have liked.
Sango sent Kirara to round up the other members of their group, though it was some time before the rather harried demon returned with Kagome, Inuyasha, and Shippo in tow. Apparently Inuyasha had done everything in his considerable power to get Shippo to leave him and Kagome alone, and Shippo could not seem to stop talking about it despite Kagome's blushes and Inuyasha's insistence that he shut up.
Sango found herself giggling at their antics, but the good mood evaporated quickly once they joined the rest of the villagers in the inn's common room for the feast. Inuyasha immediately reverted to his ordinary, grumpy self, embarrassing the rest of the group, especially when he pointed out, rather loudly, that Sango was getting special treatment. Knowing that he was correct only made Sango feel worse.
Kagome sat by in silence, remarkably composed, before urging Sango to enjoy her status as village hero. "It's nice to be appreciated!" she quipped cheerfully, narrowing her eyes at Inuyasha.
Deciding it was probably safest to avoid asking why Kagome was hinting at Inuyasha that she was not appreciated enough, Sango focused on her food. As the hero who had actually slain the demon, she was entitled to larger portions than the others, although she had protested, and had also been given a dish that the locals explained was a delicacy reserved only for certain special occasions.
It was a nondescript dish of rice and vegetables, though it smelled as if it were strongly seasoned. Sango was not quite sure that she wanted to try it, wondering vaguely what the ingredients might be, but she caught Miroku watching her out of the corner of one eye. She wondered whether he wanted her to eat it or to back out, or share with the rest of the group.
She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when the headman approached her. He was a handsome man, in a way, she thought. But what made her uncomfortable was the sense that she no longer had a choice as to whether or not to eat the hero's food.
"Honored slayer, please eat!" the headman urged, watching her intently. He almost looked as if he were about to clasp her hands in his and plead more formally. She wanted to look to Kagome or Miroku for advice but knew it would be rude to do so.
She bowed her head, muttered something that might have been an affirmative, and set to eating. It was spicy and hot, but certainly not bad. Sango found herself almost laughing at her earlier trepidation. When had she become so suspicious of the hospitality of others?
With that settled, the rest of the feast passed by quickly and relatively comfortably. Sango even offered some of the special 'hero's' dish to the others once she had eaten her fill, though under Kagome's stern glare they politely - or impolitely and begrudgingly, in Inuyasha's case - declined. When the food was finally gone, the travelers were shown to the rooms they would share; for propriety's sake, Kagome, Sango, and Kirara would share one room, with Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo in an adjacent room.
Before she could enter the room with the others, the headman pulled Sango aside. He gave no indication of what might be going on until they rounded the corner and were completely alone. "Would you do me the honor of joining me tonight, honored hero?" he asked, his voice hushed but almost... urgent.
A bit stunned by the sudden request, Sango could only shake her head no. She pulled away from him even as his grip tightened on her hand, and fled back to Kagome and the others. Best not to be caught alone, if that was his intention.
"What was that about?" Kagome asked as Sango, gratefully, slid the door shut behind her.
"Nothing," Sango murmured, hoping that would be the end of it. For once, mercifully, it was.
Everything was quiet, almost subdued, as the girls prepared for bed and settled into their respective futons. Kagome was asleep in minutes, the even sound of her breathing sounded comforting to Sango, but the slayer could not get to sleep. Kirara curled up next to her, purring, and allowed Sango to pet her. Sango watched the cat demon with interest as she ran her fingers through the thick fur.
It was a long time before sleep finally claimed her.
-----
Sango had no intention of leaving the room that night, despite the headman's invitation, but she felt strangely compelled. It was as if she watched herself rise from the futon and sneak away without so much as rousing Kirara. Even if she wanted to cry out for help, she was trapped and her throat closed tightly against the slightest noise. Slowly, surely, she walked to the headman's elegant home; her mind struggled against whatever spell bound her but could not regain control.
The guards - she thought it a bit odd that the headman's household had armed guards, considering the size of the village – admitted her wordlessly, as if they did not even see her. The headman himself was waiting for her in the courtyard. She could not remember his name, but knew it was unimportant. He offered an arm and asked, "Shall we take a walk, my lady?" Against her will and better judgment, she accepted.
As he led her out into the forest, his grip firm on her wrist, she cursed her own foolishness, for now she was well and truly trapped. If they had stayed in the village there was always the chance that Inuyasha or Miroku might hear something amiss, but if something happened to her in the forest there was little chance that her friends, much less any human, would overhear. Where was Miroku when she actually needed his help?
Instead she was forced to follow docilely and pray she could regain control of herself before something awful happened – and if the headman's behavior at dinner was any indication of his intentions, she thought she knew what he had in mind. And she wanted no part of it. She kept her ears open for any sign that her friends were aware that she was missing; everything was quiet save the soft sounds of the forest around them.
And when he opened a trap door in the middle of nowhere, she despaired. If no one was going to save her and she could not break free on her own, she would just have to endure. But instead of ushering her into the tunnel, he merely stood back and held the door open, leaving her to stand in front of the gaping hole in the ground and wonder what was going on.
There was no ladder at all, as if someone had covered up a hole in the ground rather than a manmade passage. It could almost be confused for an animal's den, were it not for the obviously human-created covering and the fact that it extended straight down into the ground. As she watched, the headman slowly slipped away, leaving her alone with the hole, but still unable to control her actions.
For a long, uncomfortable moment nothing happened. And then enormous arms, snakelike but unlike any animal or demon Sango had ever seen, swept out of the hole, catching hold of her, dragging her down. Worst of all, she could not even struggle.
Panic and instinct won out over whatever spell had gripped her. Even if she could not fight, she had to at least alert the others. She screamed as the monster pulled her into the abyss.