InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My Heart, Rest In Pieces ❯ New World Man ( Chapter 2 )

Author's note: Quicker than expected, that's for sure. Can you guess who the song lyrics are about? C'mon, take a wild guess.

Disclaimer: *yawn* You know the drill. I don't own 'em.

He's noble enough to know what's right

But weak enough not to choose it

He's wise enough to win the world

But fool enough to lose it.

Rush "New World Man"

Sometimes, late at night, Sango would close her eyes tight, and, in the darkness behind her eyelids, she would try to remember her mother's face. At first her features would appear clear, crisp, and exact. There was no mistaking that face for anyone else, for Sango knew it could be no one but her mother. But, later on, it was like an opaque fog was obscuring her memories, and her mother's countenance was blurry. Like an inked portrait that was soaked in water. The lines of her cheekbones, her nose, all ran together, and Sango couldn't ascertain whether it was truly her mother, or just a faceless woman.

Desperate for affirmation, Sango would sift and dig through old boxes and albums, finding any and all pictures of her mother to put to memory lovingly. Her perusals were almost an almost desperate act. She was afraid of forgetting her family. The thought terrified her to no end, and she soon devoted her time to compiling albums out of family photos. She created numerous scrapbooks, finding any and all pictures of her family and assembled album after album of memorabilia.

Sango would often attempt to deceive herself into thinking that the memories would help her get over the death of her family. Deep down, she didn't really believe this, and she was too smart to try and fool herself into thinking so. She realized that reopening wounds was never a wise idea, but she was too adamant in her pursuit to care. Her family had been everything to her, and she would continue to reopen her old hurts, as opposed to risk forgetting everything about her loved ones. She wanted to keep them with her…not forget them and move on. It just wouldn't do their memories justice.

Sometimes, feelings of guilt would accompany her sorrow. Sango was so very close to Kagome, and her friend's family treated her as one of their own, making her feel welcomed and loved. She would sometimes slip up, not even realizing that Souta wasn't her brother, and that Mrs. Higurashi wasn't her real mother. She would then feel shameful of herself, for even thinking that her real family could ever be replaced. In this sense, Sango was a very morose girl, but that wasn't all there was to her. She was a regular, cheerful woman, who had seen one too many horrors in her lifetime. But it was nothing that couldn't be dealt with. People had been through much worse and survived, and Sango would, too.

When things got too bad, sometimes she would try and remember the happier times with her family. Like the times when her and Kohaku would walk out to the raspberry bushes in the small woods behind their family's house. The two children would bring pails with them, filling them full to the brim with sweet, ripe berries. More often then not, more berries would end up in their stomachs than in the buckets. Their activities were marked by sticky fingers and juice-stained lips. And sometimes, when they were really lucky, they would discover a wild strawberry bush. Very few of those ever returned home with them.

Since mother had passed away, Sango and Kohaku made it their personal mission to cook decent meals for their father. Neither was overly skilled in the kitchen, but their father appreciated their sentiments all the same. He always seemed concerned over what kind of kids he was raising. He always wanted his children to grow up strong, able to handle anything thrown their way. He wanted them to be able to care for themselves, but also be empathetic to those around them. Sango always thought it seemed like he was struggling in his role as a father…as if he had never expected to handle the job alone. Raising children was always a joint effort, but his wife passed away before she could even get to know one of her children. Sango always found that extremely sad and bitter; her father never blamed mother for leaving him. He had always tried to stand strong, like he taught his children to do.

Sango never expected her father and Kohaku to leave her as suddenly as they did. They couldn't be blamed for their deaths, and she had to do her best to go on without them. This revelation made Sango feel even closer to her father, almost as if they shared a bond of understanding, each dealing with an abrupt loss.

But her father wasn't here now, and she suddenly wished she hadn't been so hard on him. When she grew angry at what she called his insensitivity, she really didn't mean it. She knew he was silently grieving, and doing his best to teach his children the same. And now that she knew how he had felt, on his own in fatherhood, she was able to connect, in a sense, since she was on her own with her life.

But now was not the time to call upon sorrowful memories. Today was a day to be happy about, for today was the day Sango started her new life. Today was the day that her and Kagome would be going to Shikon, where a new job-and a haunted house-awaited. The thought sent a jolting thrill up and down Sango's spine, leaving her nerves tingling. It hadn't taken her long to pack all her necessary belongings, and now the bags were resting by the door to her apartment. Sango sat on her moth-eaten couch, occasionally shooting glances towards the small speaker set up by the door. It was approximately 7:50 a.m., and Kagome had mentioned she would pick her up at eight. She never was one for being late, so Sango suspected she had better be ready before eight o'clock, to be safe.

All though Sango was expecting it, when the buzz from the speaker emerged, she couldn't help but jump. She hastily made her way towards it, holding down the button and speaking.

"Kagome?"

"Yeah. It's me, Sango," her friend's voice replied, slightly raspy over the static of the speaker. "Can you buzz me up? I'll help you with your stuff."

Sango figured she could carry her stuff on her own, but she buzzed Kagome up anyway. She waited by the door, anticipating the knock that was soon in coming. Sango opened the door for her friend, to find her grinning broadly.

"This is so exciting, isn't it, Sango?" Kagome asked happily, almost squealing in pleasure. She rushed into Sango's apartment, grabbing one of the bags and leaving the other for her friend.

Sango agreed happily, "Yeah! I just can't believe it!" The two began walking out of the now-darkened room, closing the door behind them…closing the door on their old lives, and starting anew.

"It's too much to grasp," Kagome mused, losing her jovial exterior and adopting a more somber mood, but happy, nonetheless.

"I know what you mean," Sango replied contemplatively, walking beside Kagome towards a dark blue car. Kagome shifted the bag slightly, using her newly freed hand to fish in the pocket of her jeans for her car key. They threw the bags in the backseat haphazardly, Kagome taking the driver's seat while Sango plopped into the passenger side.

"We're going to be spending the whole summer together!" Kagome squealed delightedly, starting the ignition with the twist of her wrist. "It will be like all those times we used to go to summer camp together!"

Sango nodded, smiling as she remembered all the good times her best friend had shared with her. The two girls had been an infamous duo at summer camp: Higurashi Kagome and Taijiya Sango. They were inseparable over the summer, swimming in the lake, horseback riding in the woods, rock-climbing, and then repelling. The two would grow impossibly closer during those long summer days, and together it seemed there was nothing the counselors could throw at them that they couldn't accomplish.

"Remember that one time when there was a snake in our cabin?" Kagome asked reminiscently, shooting Sango a glance out of the corner of her eye as she backed out of her parking spot, sliding her car onto the road.

"Mmm hmm," Sango said with a nod, a small smile forming on her face. "And all the other girls started screaming…"

"Yeah. So you took a stick and picked it up…"

Sango laughed. "And I started chasing you with the stick."

Kagome joined in her laughter. "It was funny for you, until I grabbed a stick and hit the snake off your stick."

"Yeah, knocking it right on me," Sango huffed with mock indignation. Kagome laughed at Sango's hurtful expression, holding onto the steering wheel with one arm and leaning her other elbow against the window. Sango joined in her laughter, her deep brown eyes crinkling up as her face broke out in a happy smile.

The ride continued in this cheerful manner, the road stretched before them, looking so full of promise. Somewhere, deep inside them, was a low, throbbing sensation, like an ache, a tug at their hearts. The girls knew that this summer journey they were about to undertake was going to be different from anything they had ever experienced. But whether this was good or bad was still undecided.

A short while into their drive, Kagome pulled off the road, coming to a stop in front of a small café. The small restaurant was dimly lit, and small murmurs of conversation greeted the girls as they stepped inside the warm atmosphere. An iced tea, a coke, and two sandwiches later, and the girls were once more on the road. The ride continued, and Sango's limbs were just starting to feel stiff when she felt the car slow. She glanced up, her eyes coming to rest on a small, weathered sign. Faint characters were seen on its wooden surface, painted in faded black ink.

"Welcome to Shikon," Kagome read from the sign, turning her head and smiling slyly at Sango. "We're here!" The other girl grinned as well, leaning forward in her seat and worrying the material of her jeans with her hands.

Kagome pulled onto the road the sign led to, searching the houses over, obviously looking to find her aunt's house. So intent she was on the houses, that she didn't notice a car pull out in front of her until it was too late.

"Kagome, look out!" Sango cried, fisting her hands.

Kagome let out a startled cry, slamming her foot down on the break pedal. The squealing of tires was heard, followed by the sickening crunch of metal against metal. The initial jarring impact caused the women to be flung forward against their seatbelts, only to be snapped back once more. Their primary shock wore off, leaving Sango staring wide-eyed at the car in front of them, while Kagome gripped her steering wheel tightly, her knuckles colored a pasty white at her tight grip. Loud cursing was heard from outside, and the two finally opened their doors, climbing out of the car.

A man with long, black hair was standing behind his car, cursing loudly. A large dent popped out sorely from the back of his sporty red car. He turned his flashing violet eyes towards Kagome angrily. "What the hell'd you do that for, you fucking wench?!" Kagome and Sango were, to say the least, shocked at the man's outrageously rude behavior.

"You're the one that pulled out in front of me!" Kagome cried in annoyance, before adding, "And don't you dare talk to me like that!" Sango looked back and forth between the man and Kagome.

"Maybe you should learn to pay attention!"

"Yeah?! Well, maybe you should learn to use the rearview mirror!"

"Stupid bitch! You were supposed to wait for me to pull out!"

"I thought I told you not to talk to me like that!"

A calmer, older voice somehow managed to be heard over the fray. "Looks like you two had a little fender bender."

Kagome glanced up from her argument, her anger melting and a smile alighting her face. "Aunt Kaede!"

"Feh," the black-haired man scoffed, turning up his nose haughtily. "This was the niece you spoke so highly of?" His question was clearly directed towards the older woman.

"Yes," Kaede said evenly, not the least bit perturbed. "Inuyasha, this is Kagome. Kagome, this is my neighbor, Inuyasha."

"And I'm Sango," Sango added lamely, coming towards the group, carrying her two bags with a small amount of difficulty.

"He's your neighbor?" Kagome queried shrilly, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at Inuyasha.

"It's a good thing I live so close, 'cause you're gonna be paying for my car," Inuyasha informed her roughly, folding his arms across his own chest in retaliation.

"No way! You're paying for the damage," Kagome demanded angrily. Sango and Kaede shared a glance. The younger woman raised an eyebrow, half amused and half incredulous.

"Like hell I am!"

"That's enough," Kaede told the disputing pair firmly, placing her hands on her wide hips. "You'll each pay for your own damage, it's only fair." Inuyasha scowled, but Kagome sighed in resignation. "Come on girls; it's time you two started unpacking." The two followed the older woman towards her house: a modest, yet comfortable-looking one-story. She led the two down a hall, where two bedrooms were side-by-side. Kagome took a soft yellow room, while Sango took the light blue one. The two met Kaede in the kitchen when they had finished unpacking. Kaede was warming up a pot of tea, and shooed them over to the table to sit down while she finished her tea.

The trio was then seated around the small, round table. Sango finally broke the silence, unable to contain her excitement. She asked, "So, Ms. Kaede, Kagome said you know the guy who owns the haunted house…" She trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging. The woman smiled at her eager attitude.

"Yes, I do," she told them, taking a sip of tea to prolong the suspense. "You remember Inuyasha, of course?"

"It's not him, is it?" Kagome asked, her voice rising an octave above what was normal for her, and she visibly blanched, muttering something about an 'arrogant, big-headed jerk.'

"No, no, Inuyasha does not own the house," Kaede said, smiling at Kagome's outburst. "It's owned by his older half-brother, Sesshoumaru." Kagome still appeared upset.

"Well, how did Sesshoumaru come to own this haunted house?" Sango questioned, her countenance curious. "I mean, the guy doesn't even use it, right? So why buy it?"

Kaede steepled her fingers, gazing at the two women from over her fingertips. "Ah, well, there is an interesting story behind that, really. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father owned the house, and he left it to his eldest son when he died."

The trio paused as this news set in. "Why leave it to Sesshoumaru? I mean, what did Inuyasha get?" Sango inquired, picking up her cup of tea and taking a delicate sip. After the temperature was deemed safe enough, she took a larger drink.

"Well, their dad died before he even knew that his second wife was pregnant," Kaede told them. "It's quite sad, really." Kagome, despite her embitterment towards the rude man, couldn't help but feel a rush of pity towards his situation. And Kagome knew Sango would start feeling empathetic towards Inuyasha; after all, her younger brother had never known his mother, and if there was one subject Sango was tender on, it was the topic of Kohaku.

"So, who exactly is this ghost that haunts the house?" Kagome asked, resting her elbows on the table and placing her chin in her hands, as she effectively steered the topic of discussion away from the angst direction.

Kaede glanced down into her tea, watching the brown liquid reflect her aged face back up at her. She glanced up at the girls sagely. "No one really knows, and that, in itself, may be more mysterious than the ghost just being there." The two girls sat in an awe-struck silence.

"No one knows…" Sango said to herself quietly. It was a mystery, and she was never one to turn down a challenge.

"But," Kaede continued, "there is one major clue that may or may not be used to decipher the ghost's identity." Kagome and Sango shot each other interested looks, leaning forward on their chairs simultaneously towards the elderly woman. "The house was originally a shrine, only a one-story hut. Someone added onto the house, restoring it, and making it a two-story. But that's not the strange part. In the backyard, there's a massive crater."

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! Please, review again! =) Reviews make me happy.