InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Settle the Score ❯ Push the Limits ( Chapter 11 )

Author rantings :
Some people told me how dark this story is. I'm trying my best to keep the mood light. Am I failing that terribly? Maybe it has to do that I always enjoyed dark fics the most... The really dark parts are mostly on my mind, the first of my darker parts was the Eiji incident, and it won't stay the only one. :)

Disclaimer : Still not mine.

Special thanks to :
Merith has done the editing this time. Being a native English speaker, she is a great help in finding out bad phrased sentences. She also helps with the current plot, especially in the chapter to follow. Thanks a lot!

Don't submit to stupid rules
Be yourself and not a fool.
Don't accept average habits
Open your heart and
Push the Limits

Sango woke up right after sunrise. She looked up and saw that Inuyasha was awake too, he acknowledged her with a nod. For once he didn't look as impatient as usual, but rather thoughtful. She guessed that he too had some thinking to do.

She hated waking up early, she rarely was able to sleep further once she was awake. She got up, stretching without making a sound, because everyone but Inuyasha was still asleep. Miroku was sleeping on his back, his face having a neutral expression. It didn't sport either the serene nor the cheerful look he usually wore.

Thinking that now was the best time to sort out her thoughts, she got up, taking her sword and her battle suit with her. "I'm going for a walk," she told Inuyasha. He didn't even spare her a second look when she left, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Knowing her friends would be safe, she took off into the woods.

She walked on the soft ground, careful not to stumble over the occasional tree roots. They were deep in the forest now, they wouldn't reach a village this day. The first birds were chirping, welcoming the spring; as it was morning, many different kinds of bird had joined. Sango took a deep breath of the moist, fresh air, enjoying the concert. She continued to walk, listening to the chirping. After walking for some time she found a glade, still engulfed in shadows because the high trees didn't let the sun reach the place yet.

It looked a bit gloomy, but the sun was reaching the treetops to her left, and it was just a matter of time until the glade would be lightened as well. Somehow she liked the atmosphere, it fitted her mood. ´Between light and darkness...´

She walked to the center of the clearing, looking around to make sure she was alone. In a way she envied Miroku's and Kagome's sixth sense, letting them feel others, friends and enemies alike. She had to rely on her sight and her hearing, although in that aspect, she most likely outdid all of her friends except Inuyasha.

Then she got out of her clothes while watching out for Miroku, and changed into her battle dress. Unlike many other girls, who would like to babble about everything that troubled them, she liked to think things through for herself. She would have liked to be as open as Kagome, but she just wasn't. When she was finished with changing, she formed a ball out of her kimono and threw it next to a tree.

She pulled the katana out of its sheath, taking the hilt in a double-handed grip. She hadn't done a kata for the longest time, and right now she felt like doing one, it had always helped her when some musing had been in order. She closed her eyes, forcing the rate of her breathing down. Pushing her thoughts away, she concentrated only on her body, on her breath, her heartbeat. When she had centered enough, she finally began.

She made a few blind strikes before she opened her eyes, trying to take in all of her surroundings as she sliced through the air. She began to move through all the basic attacks, which were only rather easy sword strokes without any additional kicks or punches. The beginning of the exercise wasn't straining and also served as warming up.

Miroku was becoming more unequivocal towards her. In the beginning she had been able to ignore his advances as dishonest, when he had kept groping her and had asked every beautiful woman on his way to bear his child. But lately he made it no question whom he was focusing on, and she couldn't say she was unhappy for it.

She finished the basics, and continued with more advanced forms. She let go of the hilt with her left hand, swinging the katana single-handed. She quickened her pace, slicing through imaginary enemies, while using her free hand for twisting arms, throwing punches, blocking attacks.

Secretly she had always hoped that Miroku would turn his attention on her alone; she couldn't say why, but he attracted her. Maybe it was because of his carefree and collected manner, keeping his cool even facing death. Maybe because he didn't abide by the rules which had to exist for his profession, living so completely unlike her, who had always lived the rules of her clan.

Now that her wish was finally fulfilled, she felt unsure on how to act around him. Unlike other girls in her age, who would be married by now, she hadn't even had a real boyfriend. Bunjiro could be counted as childhood crush, but she'd rather not think of him.

She had never cared much about acting like a woman, even as a child she had liked to play with the boys more than spending her time with the other girls, cradling dolls and learning to cook.

She took the sword into her other hand, repeating the forms with the left-handed grip. She could use her left hand as well as her right, a rare gift. She thought that she had inherited it from her great grandfather, who had been able to use his hands independently. She had never been that good, but still had been better than the rest of her village.

It had been that gift that had opened her the door to the path she had been treading on since she was seven. She remembered how victorious she had felt the day when she had won the bet with her father, surprising him with her dexterity. If she hadn't won it, she wouldn't have been allowed to training, like all the other girls.

Normally only boys had been trained as youkai hunters, and even they had had to undergo a selection procedure. She guessed that only a third had passed the test, the rest had learned different professions; blacksmiths had also been asked for, because the village had crafted weapons and armor with the remains of the exterminated youkai.

All the women in her village had received basic education with the naginata, so they would stand a chance should there ever be an attack, but they hadn't been permitted to the actual training. ´Obviously it wouldn't have hurt them,´ she thought with a sad frown.

Because the survival of the village had depended on the extermination of youkai, her talent simply hadn't left her people any other option than training her too. She had been very proud back then, and she still was, but over the years she had also tasted the bitter side of being extraordinary. Her friends falling for more refined girls; the women mumbling about her; the men telling her it was a shame she wasn't born a boy.

Because of the training, she had spent most of her live in the company of boys. The other girls had often been uneasy and envious around her, so she had never had much contact with them. Maybe that was one of the reasons why she didn't know how to assess Miroku, although she had needed had needed to fend off some boys when she had grown to an age where they became interested in her. In fact, Bunjiro was the reason she was very cautious towards Miroku, still not trusting him in relationship matters. ´Screw that bastard.´

Turning her attention back to the kata, she entered the final part, attacking full force. She began to incorporate her feet into her attacks, kicking and jumping, using her whole body as a weapon. The sword switched between her hands numerous times, never staying in one for too long. Unlike before, she didn't follow a program, but just moved as she saw fit. She danced through the sun-dappled glade, her sword flashing as it moved through the sun's rays.

She fell into a trance-like state, fixing all of her attention on her surroundings. The strain was finally taking its toll, her breath coming very quickly, and she felt her muscles beginning to spasm. Still she continued for some minutes more at full speed, before she began to slow down gradually, in the end coming to a stop.

She bent forward, pausing for breath. These were the moments she liked the most, when she sank into the kata. Beside having something almost hypnotic, at least for her, kata was also good training. It incorporated many secret moves of her clan, it had been strictly forbidden to show it to outsiders.

She was the only one alive who knew most of the wisdom of her clan, all of the secret techniques, the recipes how to create poisons and which youkai they affected, knowledge about behavior, strengths and weaknesses of different species. Wisdom that had been developed for centuries, wisdom that was about to die out. She felt it as a heavy burden, knowing that she would have to teach it soon, but having no knowledge to whom, or even if she was able to.

Just being very good in using her wisdom and training didn't imply she was able to teach. She had helped Kohaku sometimes, but she had only given him tips and trained with him, not led his education. At least knowing she had been able to help her brother was a small encouragement.

Finally having regained her breath, she sat down against a tree that was already reached by the sunlight. She needed to rest a bit after the exertion, and she closed her eyes, enjoying how she still noticed the sunlight through her shut eyelids as a warm color.

She wondered if Inuyasha had had some doubts before he had begun teaching Shippou. Most likely not, in everything concerning fighting the hanyou showed impressive self-confidence. ´Well,´ she thought, ´at least not completely unfounded.´

Inuyasha was a naturally talented person, and his hanyou body granted him abilities to back up his talent. He was stronger and faster than she could ever hope to be; he was able to take excessive amounts of injuries, and also regenerated incredibly fast. His claws were able to penetrate almost every armor, making him dangerous even unarmed.

His eyesight seemed to be very adaptable. She had watched him at night and noticed he didn't seem to be limited after the sunlight had faded away. She had also noticed how much he relied on the senses of smell and hearing; even when he slept his ears turned into the direction of the slightest sound.

Besides that, he seemed to have received some training, Kagome had told as much. She wondered why he tried to keep it secret, now that she was finally sure that Inuyasha had had training she wondered why he didn't put it to use. Her greatest reason for ignoring her doubts about Inuyasha's abilities had been the thought that the hanyou would use every knowledge he had in a fight.

She wondered what she would be able to do with Inuyasha's capabilities. She considered herself in very good shape and training, but she couldn't compare to his raw strength. She remembered the time Naraku had coaxed her into killing Inuyasha, he had won the fight without even hurting her; she had trained all her life, and still she hadn't been able to beat him even when he hadn't been fighting seriously.

She opened her eyes, averting her gaze from the sun to not look directly into it. It was interesting, imagining herself with his power. He would be able to uproot the tree she was leaning against with his bare hands, while she would need an axe to fell the giant. It would surely make her job easier, but she guessed she was good enough as she was; after all she hadn't been the best in her village for nothing.

With a small smile she remembered that she had often been the only one who had been trusted enough to do a job alone. Her father had tried to not show it too openly, but he had been very proud of her. Her mother too; she had just sometimes complained that it was too risky and her little girl shouldn't go all alone.

She stood up, tearing her thoughts away from the past. She walked over to the tree she had thrown her kimono next to. Sighing, she picked it up and left the glade. She didn't head back to the camp immediately, before returning she wanted to take a bath, so she headed into the opposite direction, knowing the river had to be there. She didn't want to return all sweaty, not if she could help it. After a hard battle she usually kept some distance to other people, especially Miroku, until she had a bath.

Kagome was also very fixated on cleaning herself, and the guys sometimes made fun of the miko, so Sango didn't make a fuss about liking to have a cleaned body. Sometimes it couldn't be helped to be covered by blood and worse in her profession, and after many years of youkai hunting she had gotten used to, but that didn't mean that she liked it. It actually was a reason why she preferred to use Hiraikotsu even for smaller enemies, as it allowed her to stay out of reach.

She continued on her way, after some time she could hear the whirring of the river. Slightly altering her direction, she headed directly for it. When she finally reached the river, she slipped out of her clothing, again keeping her guard up. Miroku had a sixth sense when it came to barging in on bathing women, and with a annoyed expression she realized that he had seen her naked, but not the other way round. Grinning she wondered if she could embarrass him by barging in on him for once.

She didn't know how the monk would react, but she doubted he would be ashamed. Most likely she would end up far more embarrassed than him, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea. ´Sango, I didn't know you were that interested in me,´ she could almost hear him say, the grin plastered over his whole face. But if she could make it look like an accident? She would have to place the guilt on him, somehow.

She wondered what the monk looked like under the always-present robe. He had to have a well shaped body from his demanding lifestyle, traveling much and always sleeping outside, at least when he was not tricking some rich villager. And his staff was made of solid steel. She didn't think its weigh could rival with Hiraikotsu, but it still ought to be heavy. She wondered if he also had scars from his battles. If she hadn't the ugly scar in her back, maybe she wouldn't be so paranoid while bathing.

Calculating everything together, she guessed the sight of him would be worth the trouble. She laughed lightly, it seemed like the monk was infecting her with his lecherous thoughts. At least she wouldn't go as far as groping him, although it would be interesting how he would react to that. She didn't think he would like being treated that way. She blushed slightly actually imagining touching Miroku...

Returning her concentration to the task at hand, she kneeled down next to the river and splashed some water over her body. She knew it wasn't healthy to just jump into, even if it was more comfortable, so she acclimated her body first. The water had a freezing cold temperature, and she had to suppress some shivers, before finally slipping into the river.

It still was quite a shock. She started to swim faster, trying to keep her body warm, although she knew she was fighting a losing battle. If she stayed in there too long, she would catch her death, so she only swam a small round, before she returned to the river bank, knowing it had to be enough to get rid of the sweat, and quickly climbed out.

She dried her body with her battle suit as well as she could, knowing that the sweaty stench it still had wouldn't carry over. She looked down at her arms, seeing that they were covered by goosebumps. Once again quickening, she slipped into her clean kimono, hoping that she wouldn't catch a cold.

She picked up her battle garb and held it into the river to clean it. After some times she got it out and wrung it. Then she picked up her sword and started to jog back to the camp; her kimono was tailored to provide some mobility, so she was able to keep up an acceptable pace. She knew it was important that she warmed up again, or she would catch a cold; it would also help to prevent sore muscles, together with the bath.

In retrospective, bathing in the cold river maybe hadn't been the smartest idea, but there was no other way to clean herself out in the wild; they wouldn't reach a village today, and she didn't want to wait longer.

She was even more eager to bath after a battle since she was traveling with Miroku; she really didn't want to repel him, and was glad that he had never shown any signs he found her disgusting. ´He would be the wrong one to complain anyway,´ she thought, remembering that he was often more soiled than herself; Hiraikotsu was really useful to keep out of the worst.

Miroku was a really strange mix of a person, keeping his head in the most life-threatening situations, but losing it in the presence of every beautiful woman. He could act refined and educated, but then he always tried to grope her, at least he had until the last week. He was hard to range in, sometimes being extremely calculable, and other times being extremely cunning. Maybe that was another reason that attracted her to Miroku, for being a lech he could be surprisingly sharp-witted.

Once more she was in her father's debt. Being the village head he had talked the teacher in their village to accept her into class although she was a girl, allowing her some education; now she was able to sometimes have an interesting discussion with Miroku and not just small talk.

Of course it had been uninteresting sometimes, but if she looked back, she was glad that she had had the chance to learn reading, writing and some mathematics. She even thought that she had profited more than majority of the class, as many of the boys had just been annoyed and hadn't listened at all.

She guessed her lack of boyfriends could also be explained by the fact that most of the boys in her village simply hadn't had the brains to be interesting to her. That she outdid all of them at fighting hadn't helped to make them more interesting, and especially the last year she had been out of her village often, so she often hadn't seen them for weeks.

She heard something to her left; turning her head into the direction of the sound, she noticed it was only a squirrel. Being alone in the woods always required extra attention, even if one didn't count youkai, there were still dangerous animals living in the forest, wolves or boars for example.

Her thoughts returned to Miroku's education. He must have had a more thorough one, being a priest. She wondered if he had been interested or had just learned because it was expected from him. She thought that both was possible, he was a patient listener, but it was hard to tell if something interested him. Sometimes she didn't known if she bored him with a topic, as he never ran out of patience. At least Kagome knew when Inuyasha was annoyed by something.

She arrived at the glade where she had trained, noticing the shadows had grown much shorter, compared to when she arrived here earlier in the morning. She wondered how long she was away from her friends, but it had to be more than an hour.

She crossed the opening and entered the forest again. After a while the warmth was finally returning to her body, only her fingers still felt the cold. She slowed her pace, settling back to walking, now that she didn't have to warm up anymore.

She wondered what Miroku found interesting about her. ´Beside my body...´ she thought, looking down at herself. At least in that aspect she was lucky, she was slim, slender but not thin. Maybe she had a bit more muscle than most women, but it wasn't conspicuous. She thought that her breasts were of good size and that she had a nice face, she didn't have to hide behind the girls Miroku used to flirt with.

With a frown she realized that this maybe was how he thought about her. But what about the times he had been understanding? She wondered if it had been real or just hitting on her on a bigger level. She thought herself able to see through his phrases, but maybe he just had used them to distract her from the bigger scheme?

"Miroku, what are you planning?" she muttered to herself. She hoped he wasn't just scheming to get her into bed, he didn't seem that uncaring to her. They just had fun sometimes, especially when they were discussing something, or teasing each other; Miroku was one of the few people who was able to seriously embarrass her just by luring her into word games. Luckily she was able to pay him back sometimes, so the abashments were kind of in balance.

She was really glad she had met him. She didn't think she would have been able to deal with the death of her whole village if she hadn't met Miroku and his friends; she had planned her battle with Inuyasha to be her last one, and it had almost been. But the group had accepted her although she had thoughtlessly attacked them in the beginning, and everyone had offered their own way of helping her. Despite his sometimes very unholy behavior the monk was one of the few people she trusted with her life. She had realized it some time ago, that she relied and could rely on Miroku more than she ever had on anybody else.

She finally reached the camp. Inuyasha was still sitting up at the tree, staring off into space. The only difference was that he was looking annoyed again, most possibly because Miroku was asking him where she was being. The monk was standing directly under the tree, arguing with the hanyou who was ignoring him completely.

Kagome saw her first; the miko was still lying in the sleeping bag and looking in her direction. Sango waved at her and shouted, "Good morning!", also to help Inuyasha out. The hanyou didn't look at her, but Miroku turned around at once. She kept walking, quickening her pace. She was glad that nobody looked angry that she had sneaked away, especially as Inuyasha obviously hadn't told them not to worry.

Miroku waited until she reached him. "Where have you been, Sango?" he asked her curiously. When he had woken up, her sleeping place had been deserted. He had felt uneasy, like always when he didn't know where Sango was. The fact she had left Hiraikotsu with them had both calmed and worried him, as she wouldn't leave it if she hadn't intended to return, but she would have been more open if attacked.

She looked at him, trying to assess Miroku. Had he been worrying about her? "Why do you want to know?" she asked him, looking innocently interested.

Miroku didn't want to admit he had been worrying too fast. "Just curious," he answered her, smiling his serene smile.

Sango also didn't want to give in too fast, not missing the chance to play a joke on Miroku. "Is being curious fitting for a monk?" she asked him.

"I think you got something wrong there, Sango," Miroku answered before pausing for effect. When Sango gave him an interested look, he continued, "Without knowledge it is impossible to be able to help the people around you, so curiosity is very common throughout my profession."

"So you are making curiosity a virtue?" Sango asked with a teasing undertone.

"If you say so." Miroku answered, grinning back.

"Would you two shut up this useless chatter?" Inuyasha grumbled from his tree. "Are we ready to go?"

"You don't seem to be in a good mood this morning," Miroku said to the hanyou. Inuyasha seemed rather grumpy, when he had asked where Sango was being, the only answer he got had been that she was away. After that he had just been ignored by the hanyou, although he thought that Inuyasha had already looked seriously annoyed when Sango had come back and probably wouldn't have lasted much longer.

"Keh!" Inuyasha jumped down the tree. When he landed, he folded his arms in front of him and straightened himself, trying to look intimidating. "None of your business."

Miroku turned back to Sango, ignoring Inuyasha. "Have you ever heard the saying, ´Barking dogs don't bite´, Sango?" he asked the youkai huntress loud enough for the rest to hear.

Sango couldn't stifle a laugh, especially when she saw Inuyasha's face turn a shade redder. The hanyou seethed, growling at Miroku, who deliberately continued to ignore him. "Have you ever heard the saying, ´Proper monks don't grope´, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked the girl, who was still sitting in her sleeping bag.

Kagome, who had just been snickering until then, suddenly found herself drawn into the quarrel. Deciding to lend a hand to Inuyasha, she nodded and answered, "I think Miroku hasn't."

"Damn right!" Inuyasha agreed, smirking at the monk.

Miroku sighed theatrically. "I assure you, this is one huge misunderstanding..." he answered. Then he suddenly grinned and stepped beside Sango, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "This is not groping, is it?" he asked his friends.

The whole group, including Shippou, who was looking out from the sleeping bag, stared at Sango and the arm around her, causing her to blush a bit at all the attention. Kagome giggled, while Inuyasha settled for his all-round "Keh".

"You see, this would be groping ..." Miroku continued, sliding his hand down Sango's back, but was stopped when she elbowed him in the gut. He took a step away, holding his stomach. "It was just for demonstration, I swear!" he told Sango, who was looking annoyed. "I would never take advantage of you," he solemnly vowed to her, regaining his composure.

"As if I would let you," Sango muttered. Did he always have to ruin the mood?

"But Sango, you are much too beautiful and intelligent to just be taken advantage of," Miroku told her, stepping closer to her and looking very serious. "The man who wins your heart can count himself lucky for the rest of his life," he continued, taking her hand between his.

Sango uncomfortably looked to the ground, although appreciating the praise. "Thank you," she told him. Then she looked up, determination on her face. "But if you try to demonstrate something again, I will demonstrate Hiraikotsu on you, is that clear?" she told Miroku, semi-playfully punching him against the arm.

"Crystal-clear." Miroku rushed to answer, giving Hiraikotsu a side look. Damned boomerang! "You are right of course," he continued, smiling again, "it was inconsiderate of me to demonstrate something as crude as groping on you."

Sango gave the slick monk a critical look. Kagome cut in before the youkai huntress could answer. "How about some breakfast?" the miko suggested, meeting approval from everyone but Inuyasha.

They prepared the breakfast and then sat down in a circle around it, beginning to eat; Inuyasha ate a few bites, although he didn't seem to have his usual appetite. He continued to grumble that they were wasting time; Kagome rolled her eyes at the antics.

The rest of the group also didn't eat too much, they had had a good meal the last evening. When they finished, they packed their belongings and prepared for departure. Kagome decided to use her bike once again, to spare Kirara some weight.

Inuyasha watched them uninterested, yawning demonstratively. "Inuyasha, can't you do something helpful?" Kagome complained, hauling her backpack on her bike, while Sango was packing the supplies on Kirara.

"Keh! Why should I help if you don't speed up?" Inuyasha shot back.

"Because we maybe would be quicker if you'd help us?" Kagome retaliated.

Inuyasha gave her a glare. "Keh!" He looked at his group, thinking that they were finally finished. "Ready to go?"

The group set out after some more complaints about Inuyasha's inactivity, earning nothing but snorts from the hanyou. Kagome sighed, when Inuyasha decided to be pig-headed, it was impossible to reason with him. Recently it had happened less often, but right then the hanyou was setting a perfect example for his stubbornness.

"Inuyasha, if you help like everyone else next time, we would really be quicker," Kagome picked up where she left off. Maybe she could reason with him, now that everyone was calmed down again.

Miroku sensed another useless argument coming, and slowed his pace, falling back without attracting attention, not wanting to be drawn in. He admired Kagome's endurance in trying to teach Inuyasha some manners, but it was tedious standing by. He noticed Sango followed his example, and to his great satisfaction Shippou and Kirara stayed with Inuyasha and Kagome.

"So, where have you really been this morning, Sango?" he queried again. "It's not uncommon for Inuyasha to be away in the morning, but you really had me worried when you suddenly vanished without a trace."

Sango smiled inwardly. So he had really been worrying for her? "I was just going for a walk. Inuyasha didn't tell you?"

"Not a single word," Miroku answered her. "It seems to be one of his obstinate days. He just sat up the tree, completely ignoring me. Although I think if you hadn't arrived he would have lost his patience soon," he told her, grinning.

"Looks like you can match Inuyasha's stubbornness," Sango laughed.

"On the contrary, my dear Sango," Miroku objected before pausing for effect. He stopped walking, getting a curious look from Sango. Grabbing her hands, he continued, "It was worry about your well being." He noticed the cute blush on Sango's face, giving her one of his widest grins.

Sango started walking again, trying to hide her abashment. "You were worried?"

Miroku made a few quick steps to catch up with her. "Of course. It's not ordinary to find you missing in the morning." He looked at her interested. "And why did you take your battle uniform and your katana with you if you were only going for a walk?"

"Well, I did some training on the way," she told him. "Nothing extra-ordinary."

"Really?" He gave her a critical look. "Can I come with you next time?"

"Hmm." Sango thought about that. "We'll see."

Miroku looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Was she lying? Or didn't she want to be watched? She usually didn't have problems with audience when fighting... Had she been hunting some youkai? Or someone else? Maybe he was interpreting too much into it, but it was indeed very unusual for Sango to disappear; even more so without Kirara and her boomerang.

It didn't seem she wanted to tell him, he had asked her twice and she had evaded him both times. Maybe she would tell him later, and maybe it wasn't even important. ´Too many maybes...´ he thought grimacing. He hated not knowing what was going on.

"How much success do you think is Kagome having in re-educating Inuyasha?" he asked, changing the topic. Gossiping about the two was always good pastime when there was nothing else to do.

Sango had to grin. "I don't think she's having much luck. As you said, it seems to be one of Inuyasha's stubborn days. I wonder how his mother was able to bear him when he was young, he must have been one hell of a child."

"I bet he never listened to her," Miroku laughed, "especially when she was trying to teach him some manners." He grinned, imagining Inuyasha's mother losing patience to the antics of the little hanyou.

"Obviously not," Sango agreed.

"What do you think about Eiji? Do you agree with Kagome's theory that the person he tried to kill was indeed Inuyasha's mother?"

Sango nodded. "I think it's the best guess we've made so far. It's a strange coincidence though, that the possibly sole survivor of the village massacre has ties to Inuyasha and his mother."

"Indeed," Miroku agreed. "It didn't seem to me as if Inuyasha played a role in the massacre itself, but it is hard to evaluate the statements of the confused old man. Maybe Inuyasha was also involved."

An idea suddenly popping up in her head, Sango stopped. "It couldn't be?"

"What do you mean?"

"That it wasn't a werewolf?" Sango went on. "But a were-dog?"

"You mean Inuyasha attacked the village as revenge for his mother? But wouldn't have someone recognized him as a demon?" Miroku voiced his doubts. The thought that the hanyou they had gotten to know so well would slaughter a whole village was hard to believe. Although when he remembered the carnage that had ensued with the moth youkai Gatenmaru and his bandits, he knew very well what Inuyasha was capable of. Still, the transformed hanyou hadn't been in his right mind back then. "I don't think anyone would mistake Inuyasha for a werewolf."

"Let me finish," Sango interrupted. "Sesshoumaru, as all dog youkai, is capable of turning into a dog, and from what I have heard from Kagome his form was really large, and their father's was gigantic. So, with such an ancestry, why shouldn't Inuyasha be able to do something similar?"

Miroku thought about Sango's idea. "I think that's too far-fetched. We've been through many fights before, and there was never any sign of it. Even since Tetsusaiga was broken, his body only transformed stronger, and not to a dog form. Before his sword broke he didn't transform at all. He didn't even know why he had transformed after having beaten Goshinki, so I think that was the very first time he turned youkai."

"Hmmm. But Eiji just had heard rumors when he fled the village, he actually never saw the attacker." Sango still wasn't convinced.

"You are basing your idea on too many suppositions," Miroku stopped her. "Do you really think Inuyasha would slaughter a whole village just because someone threatened his mother? And letting exactly that someone, namely Eiji, escape?"

Sango sighed. "I don't know. I just feel that there is more to Eiji and Inuyasha than they told us." Over the years she had learned to trust her instinct, it had saved her life on more than one occasion.

"I have to agree on that, but doesn't mean we have to rely on far-fetched presumptions," Miroku pacified. Since she had heard of the werewolf who had likely killed her great grandfather, she looked set on finding it, if it was still alive. Fifty years was a lot of time though. "We will have to find better clues, instead of taking wild guesses."

"You are right," Sango admitted. "Although it's not very probable to find better clues."

"See it from the positive side : If there are no rumors, it means the beast is likely already dead," Miroku tried to cheer her up. ´It's not like you have to take revenge for your great grandfather, you already have enough people to avenge.´

"Hmph." Sango's response didn't sound too excited. ´Has to be her hunting instinct,´ Miroku thought. Obviously she didn't like to let a prey escape, once she had taken up the trail.

"I just want to be prepared," Sango continued, "and Inuyasha is keeping many things away from us. Just take his throw for example."

"What about it?" Miroku asked.

"I think there's more behind it," Sango explained. "Kagome told us yesterday that Inuyasha admitted that he had received some training, but as always he is keeping the details to himself."

"Does that bother you?" Miroku wanted to know. "It's nothing new from him."

"Yes, but why does he keep that secret? Why doesn't he use his skills in our fights? There is something seriously wrong if he is holding back!" Sango lowered her voice again, noticing she had been speaking up. "I mean, Inuyasha holding back, of all people! Doesn't that sound strange to you?"

Miroku was a bit surprised how much she seemed to be thinking about it. "Well, I kind of accepted it," he admitted. "Why do you keep contemplating about?"

"Well, if I should ever have to face Inuyasha, I'd like to know my enemy," the youkai huntress explained. "You can't tell me that you weren't anxious when we stood against him two days ago."

"You were anxious?" Miroku asked teasingly, grinning at her.

Sango elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't fool around. You were, too, admit it."

"Well, having some respect when facing someone like Inuyasha can only be considered healthy," Miroku stated, rubbing his side.

"I think we have been hugely underestimating him until now. You have seen how far he goes when being pushed; he defeated Ryuukotsusei all by himself," Sango went on. "Only Sesshoumaru has beaten him once so far, and that with the help of Toukijin, after Inuyasha was seriously wounded, transformed, and poisoned."

"Well, I still think Sesshoumaru is the stronger of the two brothers," Miroku interjected. "Especially when you count in the age difference."

Sango gave him a critical look. "And how old are the two?"

Miroku shrugged. "Inuyasha is at least fifty years younger, because of the years he spent pinned to the Goshinboku. It would be interesting how large the age difference initially was."

"In other words, you have no idea," Sango muttered. "But back to topic, Inuyasha is a lot better than he lets on. I don't like it when I underestimated someone."

"How do you evaluate me?" Miroku asked, giving her an interested look.

"Hmm, let me think. A great actor, easily distracted, and unbelievable with his share of holy powers," the youkai huntress numerated, teasing the monk by saying it deliberately slow, also letting the grin seep into her voice.

"You forgot clever, good-looking, reliable," Miroku continued, giving her his widest smile.

"And overbearing," Sango countered.

"I'm just being objective," the monk answered.

"And overbearing," Sango repeated herself.

Miroku threw an arm around her and pulled her close to him. Grinning at her, he stated, "You didn't deny me."

Sango blushed from the sudden contact. "You're not being serious again."

"How can I be serious when you keep distracting me?" Miroku asked the youkai huntress, looking her in the eye.

"Houshi-sama," Sango said, prying his hand away, "I won't be taken in by your sweet-talk."

´Dammit!´ Miroku thought. ´I'm really trying my best here! What else can I do?´ If it kept going like that, he would be out of ideas soon. "Just Miroku."

Sango gave him a critical look. How much did it mean to him? She remembered Bunjiro telling something similar. How serious could she take Miroku's flatteries? Should she apologize for being rude? "We are catching up with Inuyasha," she said instead, seeing the hanyou lying on the ground, obviously from Kagome's spell.

Miroku had to suppress a scowl. Couldn't they have been left alone some time more? He didn't want to part like they were now, he had somehow offended Sango, and now he wouldn't have the chance to make up.

They reached their friends, hearing Kagome chiding Inuyasha, it looked like it had been going on for some time. "Just because you are stronger doesn't mean you can do as you like! There are rules valid for everyone, and that includes you!" Shippou was sitting on her shoulder, watching the back of the hanyou, while Kirara was lying in the grass next to them.

Sango stopped next to Kagome, but Miroku kept walking. He griped his staff harder, not showing his annoyance at Kagome's speech otherwise. Finally turning, he looked back. The hanyou looked as interested as he was himself. Luckily the miko couldn't see Inuyasha's face, or she would have likely sat him again.

When the effect of the spell finally wore off, Inuyasha got up, crossing his arms. "Keh!" With that, he walked off, catching up with Miroku. The monk fell in step, and they continued in silence.

Miroku didn't feel like brooding often, but now definitely was one of these moments. Sango just kept confusing him, he could swear that she at least liked him, but then she always pushed him away; even now when he wasn't groping her. What the hell did she want from him? Somehow she ... "How is it going?" Miroku suddenly heard from beside him, feeling Shippou hop on his shoulder.

"Yeah Miroku, are you doing well with your girl?" Inuyasha asked with a mocking voice, seemingly venting his frustration on the monk.

"Obviously not," Miroku admitted. "And you?"

"Keh! None of your business."

Miroku sighed. At least he wasn't the only one with girl problems. "Are our two favorite girls having a private discussion again?" he asked the fox child.

"You bet! They sent me off because they wanted to have a 'girl talk'," Shippou informed them. "Kagome was really fuming, Inuyasha, especially because you left her behind like that." He was beginning to feel unthreatened around the hanyou again, although he tried to express himself as calming as possible. Listening to one of Inuyasha and Kagome's arguments had really helped to restore a level of normality.

"Keh! It's her own fault if she thinks she can force me! I'm fed up with her fucking speeches about manners and crap!" the hanyou burst out. "Inuyasha this, Inuyasha that not, Inuyasha blah blah blah."

"You aren't having your most calm day, are you?" Miroku asked.

"Obviously not," Inuyasha imitated. "And you?"

"None of your business," Miroku answered.

"You forgot the Keh," Shippou added.

Inuyasha sneered, before breaking out in laughter. Catching himself, he brought out, "Oi Miroku, what about the fucking Keh," before he lost it again. Miroku and Shippou were infected by Inuyasha's laughter, and after a short time laughing along side him.

"Shippou, when did you turn into a goddamn buffoon?" Inuyasha asked still laughing, patting the fox on the back.

"We shouldn't be so loud, they will hear us!" the child warned, trying to sound serious.

"Pffff! Hahaha!" Inuyasha laughed even louder. "Jo wenches," he shouted with all his might, turning back, "I hope I'm not breaking your fucking etiquette with being too loud!" He didn't see them, they had fallen back far enough to be out of sight. "Hehe! Fucking etiquette!" he laughed to himself.

"Osuwari!" it shouted out of the wood, obviously Kagome's voice was also well developed. Inuyasha was stunned. But not because he was lying face-first on the ground, because he stood. He looked unbelievingly in front of him at first, then at the rosary that was still around his neck, twisting the beads between his fingers. Then he started laughing again. "Out of range! Hehe!"

Then he shouted out loud again, "Aargh! Fucking bitch, what was that for?"

"Osuwari!" Kagome's voice could be heard again.

Inuyasha stomped with the foot against the ground, trying to imitate the crash his skull usually caused. "Goddamn bitch, cut the crap!" he shouted back.

"OSUWARI!" Unbelievable but true, the command was even louder that time. But Inuyasha still was standing on the ground. Miroku and Shippou eyed him taken aback, the hanyou seemed to be having some kind of morbid fun with the situation.

"Dammit bitch, screw your useless manners!" Inuyasha shouted back.

"OSUWARI!" Again Kagome's shout.

THUMP! Again only Inuyasha's foot. Before the hanyou could launch another insult, he was being dragged off by Miroku. "Inuyasha, what has gotten in you?" the monk asked, releasing his friend.

The hanyou was shaking uncontrolled again, but at least he was walking on his own. "Osuwari!" he brought out between laughers, "I bet her head is all red from all the shouting! All I had in front of my eyes was her head getting redder and redder..." He had to hold his stomach, not being able to get himself under control.

Miroku eyed the hanyou, humored by the hanyou's outburst. "You are sounding really stupid, you know that?" He had never seen Inuyasha good-naturedly laughing, but at the moment the hanyou's condition could only be described with violent fit of laughter.

"You are sounding like Kagome, you know that?" Inuyasha laughed back.

"You are sounding like me, you know that?" Miroku retaliated, realizing too late that he had just said that Inuyasha sounded stupid. The hanyou didn't seem to notice though.

Inuyasha's twisted logic started working. If he himself sounded like Miroku, and Miroku sounded like Kagome, that meant... "Osuwari!" Inuyasha commanded the monk.

"Keh!" Miroku snorted back.

They both started laughing in unison. "You are sounding really stu... hehehe" the fox child couldn't complete his sentence when he started laughing too. The three continued like that for some time, until they one by one caught themselves again.

"It's good to know we are all grown-up men," Miroku stated.

Inuyasha snickered. "Yeah, and we are also behaving grown-up," he added.

"I'm a child, I'm supposed to behave childish," Shippou defended himself.

"You know, Inuyasha, I think this is the first time I saw you just laughing," Miroku told the hanyou. "One would think it would have to be over something really funny, but on something senseless like that..."

"Ah dammit, that was just too weird," Inuyasha said thoughtful, not able to laugh for his stomach hurt already. Miroku wasn't wrong, normally he didn't start laughing like a complete idiot, but he hadn't been able to help himself. "Osuwari..."

"I hope you didn't upset Kagome too much." Miroku reminded.

"Pah! Serves her right."

"And you could have picked a better moment for that, not now when she is talking to Sango," the monk added, remembering whose discussion Inuyasha had interrupted. Kagome was supposed to speak in his favor, but she likely wouldn't after that. "She would have told Sango that I have a good character, and that she really should give me a chance."

"And stuff." Inuyasha added.

Miroku had to smile at the comment. "You said that."

"Do you need Kagome's help with Sango?" Shippou asked.

"I don't know. The girl is just too damn confusing," Miroku admitted.

Inuyasha and Shippou both looked at the monk, for him to be using the word damn in connection with Sango was unusual. "What did happen?" Inuyasha wanted to know.

"Well, we talked about this and that. And then I throw an arm around her and compliment her, and she is all cold suddenly."

"You did grope her," Shippou said confidently. "Like this morning."

"I haven't touched her for a week," Miroku defended himself. "I've never expected to last that long, so this morning, with that gorgeous body standing right next to me..." he trailed of with a dreamily voice.

"So you really groped her," Inuyasha accused.

"No, I didn't! Really!" Miroku swore, coming back to reality. "I just had an arm around her waist, just like in the village, but this time she didn't seem to like it." Just when he thought he was making progress, he suddenly felt like he was further away than ever.

"But she liked it in the village?"

"Yeah, definitely." Miroku said confidently. "I was really trying to be nice and romantic, I have no idea what I did wrong." He was being straightforward, and he got slapped; he was being slow, and he got pushed away. What the hell did Sango expect from him?

"Maybe she knows you're just faking it," Inuyasha teased the monk.

"I'm not just faking, I'm really trying my hardest," Miroku clarified. He sighed, pointing his staff behind him. "I'll never understand how the mind of that woman works."

"What should I say?" Inuyasha asked. "At least yours isn't bashing you head first in the ground."

Miroku rubbed the back of his head. "Sango has other ways..."

Inuyasha snickered. "Hmm, I guess you are right. Maybe you should try hitting on Hiraikotsu, you're having much more contact with it."

Miroku grinned back. "Then I might advise you to turn your attention to Mother Earth."

"You two are hopeless," Shippou commented from the monk's shoulder. "I bet you two would have been dumped long ago without my help."

"Taking ourselves a little too importantly, aren't we?" Inuyasha commented.

Miroku was more interested in what the child had to say, so far the fox youkai's advice hadn't failed him. "Do you have a plan, Shippou?" he asked conspiratorially.

"Hmmm. Maybe you should try giving her a present," Shippou advised. "Kagome and Sango were talking about necklaces, for example. I bet she would like a small gift."

"And where should I take a necklace from?" Miroku asked aggravated; even Shippou was failing him. "I guess my sake plan is still the best we have." He touched the sake jug hidden in his cloths. "Don't forget your end of the deal, Inuyasha. I'm getting some time with Sango this evening."

"Let me guess, I'll have to take care of the brat," Inuyasha nodded at Shippou, "Kagome and Sango's cat."

"Exactly!", Miroku agreed, grinning over the whole face. "I see you've gotten grasp of the situation."

"I'm not a brat!" Shippou declared from Miroku's shoulder, giving the monk a glare. He couldn't stand silent when the monk agreed to the insult of Inuyasha. "I'm ten times more grown up than the both of you together."

Inuyasha continued, ignoring the child, "You owe me one, Miroku. Shippou's a real pain in the ass to begin with, and Kirara and Kagome will likely expect something."

"Kirara's on my side, remember?" Miroku answered. "And Shippou is a really uncomplicated young youkai, and as long as you are nicer to Kagome, there is no problem." He heard Shippou agree with him on his shoulder, so at least the child was satisfied. "I can repay the favor, so you can have time with your miko."

"Keh! I don't need your help, monk!" Inuyasha declared over his shoulder.

"Really? So how is it going?" Miroku asked, elbowing the hanyou with a grin. Shippou looked interested too, although with an unbelieving look on his face.

"None of your business!" Inuyasha gritted out. He should have anticipated that they would soon query him, after Miroku's affairs were discussed.

"Come on, Inuyasha, everyone knows you are fancying Kagome," Miroku told the hanyou. "It won't hurt letting us help you. I'm the women expert after all," he said, pointing at himself.

"Keh! At least I don't have to drug my women," Inuyasha snorted.

Shippou laughed on Miroku's shoulder, getting a side-glance from the monk. "I didn't realize you wanted to walk..." he told the fox, who stopped immediately. "Drug is a mean word," Miroku went on, "I'm just helping her relax. But that is not your problem, is it?"

When the hanyou just offered a "Keh!" as reply, Miroku contemplated if he should continue, and decided to go with the direct approach, "Your problem is Kikyou, isn't it? You are still feeling obliged towards her."

Inuyasha crossed his arms, looking ahead. "And what would you do, monk? We were engaged, just a fucking few months ago!" At least her offer to marry him if he turned human, and his will to go with her plan, could only be translated into that. "Should I ignore how ... what she is now?"

"No, that's not what I mean," Miroku answered. "But you will have to chose between the two. You and Kikyou can't be together, on this side of the grave... I think it is time to let the past rest."

Strangely, Inuyasha started laughing again, although this time it was bitter and didn't sport any humor. His two companions looked at the hanyou, what was wrong with him today?

"I can't lay to rest what is already sleeping..." Inuyasha answered their curious stares. He looked at his friends, seeing that they didn't know how to take his comment. When he only earned incomprehensive looks, he continued his brooding chuckle. They had to think he was turning crazy.

That's all, folks. I hope the cut isn't too out of place. This and the next chapter was originally planned as one, but as usual my writing got out of hand. When the chapter reached 12.000 words, I thought it might be better to split it, also to give you an earlier chapter. Had you waiting long enough :)

The next chapter is more than half-way written, so the wait shouldn't be as long as for this. I guess one or two weeks. I have to admit that having no time for writing and laziness form a vicious circle, at least it works that way for me...

The Song is from Enigma this time. It has a very good music video, which is really hard to get; the only thing available is some stupid remix.