InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Separation ❯ Escape ( Chapter 5 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: King Baka 
Miroku gets some answers and Sango makes her escape.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.16.2008 | Updated On: 10.14.2013 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Miroku gets some answers and Sango makes her escape.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.16.2008 | Updated On: 10.14.2013 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.
Fanfiction of the Week: The Backward Blanket, by SplendentGoddess
Escape
Ugh…my head. Miroku’s skull was pounding, and he knew the feeling would only intensify if he opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, that much he could tell, on a rough, uneven surface. His groggy mind ran around in circles, trying to remember how he ended up in such a disagreeable state. He had been sitting at camp, waiting for Sango to return…
“Sango!” he yelled as he bolted upright, an action he immediately regretted. Still, even though pain and dizziness clouded his mind, he was able to recall the events of the previous night.
~~~
The past few days had been both wonderful and unnerving at the same time. It had taken all of his willpower, but he had managed to refrain from groping Sango as they completed their journey to the mountain. He had begun noticing subtle changes in her behavior which were magnified after Inuyasha left them alone. She seemed less guarded, and more…not affectionate, but appreciative of his presence. Her eyes seemed brighter, and her face consistently shone with a small, contented smile. It was when he realized that she was genuinely enjoying spending time with him that he fully grasped the changes in his own behavior. Since he had been keeping his hands to himself, he felt far more relaxed around Sango. And who could blame him? He didn’t have any lumps on the head or marks on the cheek, nor an angry taijiya glaring daggers at him. But it was more than that. He felt like he was silently watching his emotional barriers fall one by one, the only restraints that kept him from revealing his true feelings to Sango. They were promised to wed, but little more than that had been spoken. That was how he wanted it, at least until Naraku was defeated and his curse was vanquished. But as they walked alone, side by side toward the village, he couldn’t help but feel that they were transforming into a regular couple, a normal man and a normal woman courting each other and experiencing romance for the first time. It scared him to death.
So he groped her. They had settled into their old roles instantly, like two actors rehearsing an old play together. And as he sat alone under the tree, watched warily by Kirara, he reflected that this was what he had wanted.
Then why do I feel so empty? Why did it matter that Sango didn’t trust him to respect her privacy? That was how it had always been, was it not? He sighed. Yes, it’s always been that way, but…I don’t want it to be that way anymore. He missed their new, more open relationship. He missed her smile, her soft chuckle when he said something amusing, the happiness in her gaze. He had seen a side of Sango rarely glimpsed, and experienced a side of himself he was sure had been buried long ago. He was in love. Plain and simple. He had always suspected, but now he was certain. He was in love with Sango. Being the lecherous hentai made him feel secure, allowed him to distance himself from those around him. But he didn’t want to revert back to that guy; it was time to grow up, to take a chance, to hold someone close and never let go.
I just hope she’ll forgive me. It’s been awhile; she must be really mad… He was startled out of his musings by a thunderous roar, as Kirara transformed into her larger form and bounded off toward the hot spring.
“Kirara, wait up!” he called, but the fire-cat didn’t break stride. Sango must be in danger! He steeled himself for the beating he would surely receive, but he would worry about the consequences of interrupting Sango’s bath later. Right now his only concern was her safety.
“Aackk!!” he choked out. He thought the mist hovering around him was steam from the hot spring, but apparently he had been mistaken. It was acrid, and felt like fire in his lungs. Unable to maintain his balance, he collapsed onto the dirt as a crippling numbness set in and darkness enveloped him completely.
~~~
Rising shakily to his feet, Miroku surveyed the surrounding forest, taking note of the small white blob a few feet away. Rubbing his eyes, he saw that the blob was actually Kirara; the sleeping powder had evidently affected her even more strongly. If I ever experience that again, it will be too soon. Gathering the slumbering feline in his arms, he pushed through the remaining twenty feet of underbrush separating him from the hot spring. As he suspected, the area was deserted. He fought the urge to panic; Sango had come out of tough scrapes before, and he forced himself to analyze the situation logically. The clearing held definite signs of a struggle, but he could see no red stains upon the grass to mark where blood was spilt. Furthermore, the footprints were all human, and he had sensed no demonic aura the previous night. That meant Sango had been attacked by humans, highly trained humans with noxious gas and protective masks, no doubt. They surely hadn’t expected her to have her own mask, or to resist them as fiercely as she surely had. His Sango would never have gone quietly; she must have been overwhelmed by numbers. Still, that didn’t change the fact that she had been taken, though he could be reasonably certain she was still alive. That belief didn’t do much to alleviate his concern, however.
Miroku considered his options. He could wait here until Kirara woke up and see if she could track Sango’s scent. He looked down at the cat and shook his head. She lay there motionless; not even her whiskers moved. She was still completely out of it, and it didn’t look like she would be waking up for some time. He grimaced; if the smoke had been hard on his nose he could only imagine the effect it would have on a youkai’s. But how strong was Kirara’s nose anyway? No one really knew, but surely it was not as strong as Inuyasha’s. Would she be able to track a scent that was almost a full day old? No, this choice held too many uncertainties. Even if Kirara could track Sango’s scent, the going would be slow and they might not gain any ground. Aside from wandering off in some random direction, the only other option was to continue on to the village and see if anyone there knew anything. Mind made up, he turned to make his way back to the small forest path they had been following since the previous day. He felt confident he would find some answers at the village; he had a feeling this was not an isolated incident.
“What did you do with my daughter?!”
“Let’s beat some answers out of him!”
I hope being right doesn’t get me killed. Even moving at a brisk pace, it had taken Miroku almost the whole day to reach the village. He had wasted no time in walking up to a group of men and asking his first question. That was how he found himself in his current predicament: backed against a wall and surrounded by irate villagers.
“People! Please calm down!” he shouted, and when they had quieted somewhat he continued in a much lower voice. “I am merely a humble monk. I only asked about women being kidnapped because my fiancée was taken last night.”
The attitude of the mob changed then to sympathy, and the crowd began to disperse. Miroku grabbed one of the men by the arm.
“Excuse me, sir. Did you say your daughter was taken as well?”
“Aye, two days ago. Come, follow me. I shall tell you the story.”
Miroku followed the man into a spacious hut down the street. Sighing, the man settled down on the floor and motioned for Miroku to follow suit. “This hut feels so empty without Akemi…”
“Akemi is your—”
“Aye, my daughter. She was all I had left after my wife passed away. Some village boy was courting her, so I knew she would leave eventually, but now it makes me sick when I think about what her future holds.”
This comment caused nausea to settle in Miroku’s own stomach as he suddenly suspected that he knew exactly what was going on. Nevertheless, he had to know for sure.
“Tell me, who has taken my fiancée?”
“Slavers, bandits, call the bastards what you want. They kidnap women so they can sell them in faraway lands, sometimes across the sea.”
Miroku gritted his teeth in anger. He had heard stories of women being taken and sold to the highest bidder, but had never been entirely convinced that the practice actually went on. It just seemed too horrible to fathom, that women could be treated in such a way. Why, at this very moment Sango could be at the mercy of some bastard… Miroku shook his head violently. He needed to get the bottom of this before he let his imagination run amok.
“Do you have any idea where these bandits might be?”
“We only know that they operate out of an old castle to the northeast.”
Miroku felt his eye twitch in exasperation. “If you know where they base their operation, then why hasn’t anyone done anything about them?!”
“You think we haven’t tried? For decades this village and a handful of others have been paying protection money to those thugs, and they usually leave us alone. About seven years ago, a couple of villages got tired of paying and launched an attack on the castle. The bandits massacred everyone and burned the two villages to the ground, killing anyone they could catch. Some of the survivors still live with us to this day. It was only a few days ago that they started taking our women. People like me who have lost a loved on, want to go to war, but those who have not lost are too afraid. Too afraid they’ll be killed and their wives and children will be left at the mercy of the slavers. Afraid that the other villages will back out at the last second and abandon them. We’re just a bunch of poor farmers, and the cowards think we’ll be carved into tiny pieces if we go to war.” The stranger’s tone, which started out enraged, gradually morphed into disgusted as he spat the last sentence.
“And you do not agree?”
“I truly believe that if we all fight together, for our wives and children, we can beat them. I have no doubt many of us will die, but if we do nothing we condemn those captured to a fate much worse.”
On that note the room fell silent, as neither man seemed willing to say more. Kirara mewed into the silence, choosing that moment to let Miroku know she was awake. She lay limply in his lap, still too drained to even raise her head. Miroku absently ran his hand along her back as he contemplated his next course of action.
“I will go after Sango. I don’t care if I have to go through a hundred, or a thousand bandits. I will set out first thing in the morning. I would leave tonight if I thought my companion here felt well enough to convey me.”
Smiling for the first time since he met Miroku, the man spoke in a kind voice. “Well, I wish you luck. You are welcome to stay here for the night, Houshi-sama.”
“Please, call me Miroku.”
“Very well, and you may call me Rokurou.”
Miroku nodded his thanks and prepared to settle down for the night, though he didn’t expect to get much sleep. With Kirara temporarily incapacitated, however, it would do no good to wander around in the dark. It was going to be a very long night. In the morning he would find Sango, no matter what the cost, even if it meant sucking every last bandit into his kazaana.
Oh please, oh please…YES!!! Though her captors had taken her hiraikotsu and katana, they had not searched her thoroughly, and her questing fingers easily found the latch which triggered the hidden blade on her forearm. But as the ropes fell away and she removed the cloth gag from her mouth, the other girls in the cart took notice. They began making ‘mpphh’ noises from behind their gags, pleading for their own release.
“Shhhh!!!” Sango shushed them furiously. The girls fell silent, and Sango listened intently for a few moments to see if they had drawn any unwanted attention. The sound of male laughter outside assured her that her actions had gone undetected.
“Okay,” she whispered, willing her voice to be calm and reassuring. “I’m going to free all of you, but you have to be quiet! Stay put and listen to me and I’ll get you out of this.”
After slicing through all the ropes, she crawled to the front of the cart and lifted the cover just enough to peak outside. What luck! The first things she glimpsed were her missing weapons; they had been placed behind the bench, which currently sat two men, one of which was driving the two horses pulling the cart. Sango was pleased to see evidence of her combat prowess; the driver’s head was heavily bandaged and the passenger’s arm was in a sling. Moving over to the side of the cart, she once again peaked outside and spotted two heavily armed and armored men on horseback. Checking the other side, she was met with the same sight, though this time she noted that a thick forest ran along the edge of the road. A plan began to form in Sango’s mind.
“Listen up,” she said to her fellow captives. “Don’t move until I say so. If you see me fall, jump out of the cart and make a break for the woods.”
Flashing a confident grin to the frightened girls, she readied herself for a fight. The two injured men never knew what hit them. In one smooth motion she slashed open the tarp, grabbed hiraikotsu, and knocked them both unconscious with it. She then flung it at the next closest man, catching him squarely in the chest and knocking him from his steed. Before the weapon returned to her she managed to slip her katana sheath inside her obi and draw the blade. Giant bone boomerang in one hand, sword in another, and blade protruding from her arm, she made a fearsome sight indeed.
Confronted with such an opponent, it was no surprise that the other three men hung back, having watched half their number fall incapacitated in a few short seconds. Finally they entered the fray, the first charging forward to slash at her with a long katana. She parried with her own blade before launching herself airborne, planting a side-kick to the man’s head before deftly taking the recently vacated place on his horse. It was far better to be a moving target than a sitting duck, and this way she could draw the men away from the cart. Spurring the horse, she spun it around just in time to block the incoming arrow with hiraikotsu. The man with the bow was hanging back, covering for his compatriot, who was charging in at an angle. If she moved hiraikotsu too far away from her body she would surely find herself impaled with an arrow.
She was readying herself to counter the other man’s attack when to her surprise he simply rode right past her. Looking behind her she could see why. Several of the girls had leapt out of the cart and were sprinting blindly toward the trees. Those idiots! They’re going to get themselves killed! Judging from the body language of the man bearing down upon them, it didn’t appear he had mercy in mind. Evidently he had determined that this particular group of captives was more trouble than it was worth. Dammit! Sango threw hiraikotsu with all her might just as she heard the twinge of the bowstring. The boomerang struck the man in the back of the head, sending him flying face-first into the dirt as the horse veered away.
Burning pain lanced into her back, the impact knocking her from her horse as she landed in a heap. Rising onto an elbow, she managed to catch hiraikotsu as it flew by, using it as a shield as she rose unsteadily to her feet. The pain seemed to grip every nerve in her body, making it hard to concentrate, but she knew the fight was not over yet. The last man readied another arrow, but instead of pointing it at her he aimed it over her head at an easier target. With a mighty battle cry to draw his attention, Sango let hiraikotsu fly once more, but not before her enemy had shifted his aim and fired his arrow. It struck her in the shoulder, spinning her around and once again dropping her to the ground as fresh waves of agony flowed through her. This time she was content to let hiraikotsu fly its course, as it landed on the ground next to her and skidded to a halt. She didn’t need to look to know her attack had hit home. The battle was over.
“Taijiya-sama! Are you okay?!”
The feminine voices called out to her, but she lacked the energy to respond. Blessed unconsciousness pulled at her, and she was powerless to resist. She dimly felt hands lifting her as she surrendered to oblivion.
Fanfiction of the Week: The Backward Blanket, by SplendentGoddess
Escape
Ugh…my head. Miroku’s skull was pounding, and he knew the feeling would only intensify if he opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, that much he could tell, on a rough, uneven surface. His groggy mind ran around in circles, trying to remember how he ended up in such a disagreeable state. He had been sitting at camp, waiting for Sango to return…
“Sango!” he yelled as he bolted upright, an action he immediately regretted. Still, even though pain and dizziness clouded his mind, he was able to recall the events of the previous night.
~~~
The past few days had been both wonderful and unnerving at the same time. It had taken all of his willpower, but he had managed to refrain from groping Sango as they completed their journey to the mountain. He had begun noticing subtle changes in her behavior which were magnified after Inuyasha left them alone. She seemed less guarded, and more…not affectionate, but appreciative of his presence. Her eyes seemed brighter, and her face consistently shone with a small, contented smile. It was when he realized that she was genuinely enjoying spending time with him that he fully grasped the changes in his own behavior. Since he had been keeping his hands to himself, he felt far more relaxed around Sango. And who could blame him? He didn’t have any lumps on the head or marks on the cheek, nor an angry taijiya glaring daggers at him. But it was more than that. He felt like he was silently watching his emotional barriers fall one by one, the only restraints that kept him from revealing his true feelings to Sango. They were promised to wed, but little more than that had been spoken. That was how he wanted it, at least until Naraku was defeated and his curse was vanquished. But as they walked alone, side by side toward the village, he couldn’t help but feel that they were transforming into a regular couple, a normal man and a normal woman courting each other and experiencing romance for the first time. It scared him to death.
So he groped her. They had settled into their old roles instantly, like two actors rehearsing an old play together. And as he sat alone under the tree, watched warily by Kirara, he reflected that this was what he had wanted.
Then why do I feel so empty? Why did it matter that Sango didn’t trust him to respect her privacy? That was how it had always been, was it not? He sighed. Yes, it’s always been that way, but…I don’t want it to be that way anymore. He missed their new, more open relationship. He missed her smile, her soft chuckle when he said something amusing, the happiness in her gaze. He had seen a side of Sango rarely glimpsed, and experienced a side of himself he was sure had been buried long ago. He was in love. Plain and simple. He had always suspected, but now he was certain. He was in love with Sango. Being the lecherous hentai made him feel secure, allowed him to distance himself from those around him. But he didn’t want to revert back to that guy; it was time to grow up, to take a chance, to hold someone close and never let go.
I just hope she’ll forgive me. It’s been awhile; she must be really mad… He was startled out of his musings by a thunderous roar, as Kirara transformed into her larger form and bounded off toward the hot spring.
“Kirara, wait up!” he called, but the fire-cat didn’t break stride. Sango must be in danger! He steeled himself for the beating he would surely receive, but he would worry about the consequences of interrupting Sango’s bath later. Right now his only concern was her safety.
“Aackk!!” he choked out. He thought the mist hovering around him was steam from the hot spring, but apparently he had been mistaken. It was acrid, and felt like fire in his lungs. Unable to maintain his balance, he collapsed onto the dirt as a crippling numbness set in and darkness enveloped him completely.
~~~
Rising shakily to his feet, Miroku surveyed the surrounding forest, taking note of the small white blob a few feet away. Rubbing his eyes, he saw that the blob was actually Kirara; the sleeping powder had evidently affected her even more strongly. If I ever experience that again, it will be too soon. Gathering the slumbering feline in his arms, he pushed through the remaining twenty feet of underbrush separating him from the hot spring. As he suspected, the area was deserted. He fought the urge to panic; Sango had come out of tough scrapes before, and he forced himself to analyze the situation logically. The clearing held definite signs of a struggle, but he could see no red stains upon the grass to mark where blood was spilt. Furthermore, the footprints were all human, and he had sensed no demonic aura the previous night. That meant Sango had been attacked by humans, highly trained humans with noxious gas and protective masks, no doubt. They surely hadn’t expected her to have her own mask, or to resist them as fiercely as she surely had. His Sango would never have gone quietly; she must have been overwhelmed by numbers. Still, that didn’t change the fact that she had been taken, though he could be reasonably certain she was still alive. That belief didn’t do much to alleviate his concern, however.
Miroku considered his options. He could wait here until Kirara woke up and see if she could track Sango’s scent. He looked down at the cat and shook his head. She lay there motionless; not even her whiskers moved. She was still completely out of it, and it didn’t look like she would be waking up for some time. He grimaced; if the smoke had been hard on his nose he could only imagine the effect it would have on a youkai’s. But how strong was Kirara’s nose anyway? No one really knew, but surely it was not as strong as Inuyasha’s. Would she be able to track a scent that was almost a full day old? No, this choice held too many uncertainties. Even if Kirara could track Sango’s scent, the going would be slow and they might not gain any ground. Aside from wandering off in some random direction, the only other option was to continue on to the village and see if anyone there knew anything. Mind made up, he turned to make his way back to the small forest path they had been following since the previous day. He felt confident he would find some answers at the village; he had a feeling this was not an isolated incident.
* * *
“How do you know women have been taken?!”“What did you do with my daughter?!”
“Let’s beat some answers out of him!”
I hope being right doesn’t get me killed. Even moving at a brisk pace, it had taken Miroku almost the whole day to reach the village. He had wasted no time in walking up to a group of men and asking his first question. That was how he found himself in his current predicament: backed against a wall and surrounded by irate villagers.
“People! Please calm down!” he shouted, and when they had quieted somewhat he continued in a much lower voice. “I am merely a humble monk. I only asked about women being kidnapped because my fiancée was taken last night.”
The attitude of the mob changed then to sympathy, and the crowd began to disperse. Miroku grabbed one of the men by the arm.
“Excuse me, sir. Did you say your daughter was taken as well?”
“Aye, two days ago. Come, follow me. I shall tell you the story.”
Miroku followed the man into a spacious hut down the street. Sighing, the man settled down on the floor and motioned for Miroku to follow suit. “This hut feels so empty without Akemi…”
“Akemi is your—”
“Aye, my daughter. She was all I had left after my wife passed away. Some village boy was courting her, so I knew she would leave eventually, but now it makes me sick when I think about what her future holds.”
This comment caused nausea to settle in Miroku’s own stomach as he suddenly suspected that he knew exactly what was going on. Nevertheless, he had to know for sure.
“Tell me, who has taken my fiancée?”
“Slavers, bandits, call the bastards what you want. They kidnap women so they can sell them in faraway lands, sometimes across the sea.”
Miroku gritted his teeth in anger. He had heard stories of women being taken and sold to the highest bidder, but had never been entirely convinced that the practice actually went on. It just seemed too horrible to fathom, that women could be treated in such a way. Why, at this very moment Sango could be at the mercy of some bastard… Miroku shook his head violently. He needed to get the bottom of this before he let his imagination run amok.
“Do you have any idea where these bandits might be?”
“We only know that they operate out of an old castle to the northeast.”
Miroku felt his eye twitch in exasperation. “If you know where they base their operation, then why hasn’t anyone done anything about them?!”
“You think we haven’t tried? For decades this village and a handful of others have been paying protection money to those thugs, and they usually leave us alone. About seven years ago, a couple of villages got tired of paying and launched an attack on the castle. The bandits massacred everyone and burned the two villages to the ground, killing anyone they could catch. Some of the survivors still live with us to this day. It was only a few days ago that they started taking our women. People like me who have lost a loved on, want to go to war, but those who have not lost are too afraid. Too afraid they’ll be killed and their wives and children will be left at the mercy of the slavers. Afraid that the other villages will back out at the last second and abandon them. We’re just a bunch of poor farmers, and the cowards think we’ll be carved into tiny pieces if we go to war.” The stranger’s tone, which started out enraged, gradually morphed into disgusted as he spat the last sentence.
“And you do not agree?”
“I truly believe that if we all fight together, for our wives and children, we can beat them. I have no doubt many of us will die, but if we do nothing we condemn those captured to a fate much worse.”
On that note the room fell silent, as neither man seemed willing to say more. Kirara mewed into the silence, choosing that moment to let Miroku know she was awake. She lay limply in his lap, still too drained to even raise her head. Miroku absently ran his hand along her back as he contemplated his next course of action.
“I will go after Sango. I don’t care if I have to go through a hundred, or a thousand bandits. I will set out first thing in the morning. I would leave tonight if I thought my companion here felt well enough to convey me.”
Smiling for the first time since he met Miroku, the man spoke in a kind voice. “Well, I wish you luck. You are welcome to stay here for the night, Houshi-sama.”
“Please, call me Miroku.”
“Very well, and you may call me Rokurou.”
Miroku nodded his thanks and prepared to settle down for the night, though he didn’t expect to get much sleep. With Kirara temporarily incapacitated, however, it would do no good to wander around in the dark. It was going to be a very long night. In the morning he would find Sango, no matter what the cost, even if it meant sucking every last bandit into his kazaana.
* * *
Ugh…my head. It felt like someone had used it for hiraikotsu practice. A consistent throbbing ache centered in her temple, and she was quite sure there was a large lump back there somewhere. It was when she tried to reach up and feel for said lump that she realized something was seriously wrong. Fully awake now, it took Sango only a moment to recognize that she was in trouble. Her hands were tied securely behind her, and her feet were similarly bound. She struggled with her bonds as she took in her surroundings. She was in the back of a wooden cart, covered by a tarp so as to conceal the cargo inside. The cart was moving, carrying her and about a dozen other similarly tied girls to an unknown destination. She could hear men’s voices, presumably belonging to her captors, as well as several sets of horses’ hoof beats. Oh please, oh please…YES!!! Though her captors had taken her hiraikotsu and katana, they had not searched her thoroughly, and her questing fingers easily found the latch which triggered the hidden blade on her forearm. But as the ropes fell away and she removed the cloth gag from her mouth, the other girls in the cart took notice. They began making ‘mpphh’ noises from behind their gags, pleading for their own release.
“Shhhh!!!” Sango shushed them furiously. The girls fell silent, and Sango listened intently for a few moments to see if they had drawn any unwanted attention. The sound of male laughter outside assured her that her actions had gone undetected.
“Okay,” she whispered, willing her voice to be calm and reassuring. “I’m going to free all of you, but you have to be quiet! Stay put and listen to me and I’ll get you out of this.”
After slicing through all the ropes, she crawled to the front of the cart and lifted the cover just enough to peak outside. What luck! The first things she glimpsed were her missing weapons; they had been placed behind the bench, which currently sat two men, one of which was driving the two horses pulling the cart. Sango was pleased to see evidence of her combat prowess; the driver’s head was heavily bandaged and the passenger’s arm was in a sling. Moving over to the side of the cart, she once again peaked outside and spotted two heavily armed and armored men on horseback. Checking the other side, she was met with the same sight, though this time she noted that a thick forest ran along the edge of the road. A plan began to form in Sango’s mind.
“Listen up,” she said to her fellow captives. “Don’t move until I say so. If you see me fall, jump out of the cart and make a break for the woods.”
Flashing a confident grin to the frightened girls, she readied herself for a fight. The two injured men never knew what hit them. In one smooth motion she slashed open the tarp, grabbed hiraikotsu, and knocked them both unconscious with it. She then flung it at the next closest man, catching him squarely in the chest and knocking him from his steed. Before the weapon returned to her she managed to slip her katana sheath inside her obi and draw the blade. Giant bone boomerang in one hand, sword in another, and blade protruding from her arm, she made a fearsome sight indeed.
Confronted with such an opponent, it was no surprise that the other three men hung back, having watched half their number fall incapacitated in a few short seconds. Finally they entered the fray, the first charging forward to slash at her with a long katana. She parried with her own blade before launching herself airborne, planting a side-kick to the man’s head before deftly taking the recently vacated place on his horse. It was far better to be a moving target than a sitting duck, and this way she could draw the men away from the cart. Spurring the horse, she spun it around just in time to block the incoming arrow with hiraikotsu. The man with the bow was hanging back, covering for his compatriot, who was charging in at an angle. If she moved hiraikotsu too far away from her body she would surely find herself impaled with an arrow.
She was readying herself to counter the other man’s attack when to her surprise he simply rode right past her. Looking behind her she could see why. Several of the girls had leapt out of the cart and were sprinting blindly toward the trees. Those idiots! They’re going to get themselves killed! Judging from the body language of the man bearing down upon them, it didn’t appear he had mercy in mind. Evidently he had determined that this particular group of captives was more trouble than it was worth. Dammit! Sango threw hiraikotsu with all her might just as she heard the twinge of the bowstring. The boomerang struck the man in the back of the head, sending him flying face-first into the dirt as the horse veered away.
Burning pain lanced into her back, the impact knocking her from her horse as she landed in a heap. Rising onto an elbow, she managed to catch hiraikotsu as it flew by, using it as a shield as she rose unsteadily to her feet. The pain seemed to grip every nerve in her body, making it hard to concentrate, but she knew the fight was not over yet. The last man readied another arrow, but instead of pointing it at her he aimed it over her head at an easier target. With a mighty battle cry to draw his attention, Sango let hiraikotsu fly once more, but not before her enemy had shifted his aim and fired his arrow. It struck her in the shoulder, spinning her around and once again dropping her to the ground as fresh waves of agony flowed through her. This time she was content to let hiraikotsu fly its course, as it landed on the ground next to her and skidded to a halt. She didn’t need to look to know her attack had hit home. The battle was over.
“Taijiya-sama! Are you okay?!”
The feminine voices called out to her, but she lacked the energy to respond. Blessed unconsciousness pulled at her, and she was powerless to resist. She dimly felt hands lifting her as she surrendered to oblivion.