InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Feud: A Marriage Made In Heaven ❯ Where It All Began ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: Hellloo, I am Rumiko Takahashi! I was bo- oh alright!! I own nothing dammit!!!

THANK YOU to my betas Wendy, Deborah, and Jess! And another thank you to Deborah for supplying me with the quote. I really appreciate it, ladies!

"Understanding is a three-edged sword.

There is your side, there side, and the truth."

~Babylon 5 "Koshism"

Book I: The Feud: A Marriage Made In Heaven.

Chapter 8: Where It All Began.

Sango’s eyes flew open as she suddenly came awake. She stayed absolutely still as she tried to figure out what exactly had awakened her. She could feel the heat of her husband’s body against her back and the solid, yet pleasant feel of his arm along her waist. The new sensation of waking with someone in her bed would have been something she’d lay and mull over to decide if she liked the strange feeling or not, but something was disturbing her.

Her body was tense all over and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing with apprehension, but she didn’t have a clue as to why.

The only time she ever felt this way was when she’d had a virtual dream

When she was really bothered by a vision or it turned out to be something that was important or hit close to home she’d somehow experience the vision as if she were truly there and not as if she was a bystander watching from the sidelines like usual. They usually left her feeling anxious and a little on edge and they always happened while she slept. That’s why her grandmother had dubbed those visions virtual dreams..

She turned slowly to look over her shoulder to look at Miroku, not wanting to wake him with too much movement. Sango smiled when she saw he was still sleeping like a baby. Quietly, she removed his arm from around her then slowly slid from the bed. She grabbed her nightgown from the floor then made her way to the bathroom.

She always thought better in the shower.

Closing the bathroom door behind her, she never noticed the pair of purple eyes watching her from the bed.

****

Kagome sighed as she turned on to her left side. She’d only just switched to her right ten minutes ago. She couldn’t sleep. There was something bothering her, keeping her awake. Not that that part mattered now, since it was time to get up anyway.

For some reason she could get the vision of a woman’s face out of her mind. She could see the large brown eyes, high cheekbones, and arched eyebrows as if she was staring into a mirror. The woman’s face was not the most beautiful, but there was such sadness in her eyes that it was not easily forgotten.

There was also the fact that the woman could easily be mistaken for someone of her own family. The resemblance to herself and her sisters was unmistakable. Yet, she was sure she’d never seen the woman before. Kagome tried to remember the rest of her dream. The whys, how’s, and what’s of it, but all that came back to her was the woman’s face.

Kagome sighed finally and shrugged it off as she sat up in bed. She threw her legs over the side then moved towards the bathroom. She was sure that if it was of any importance then it would come back to her sooner or later… and definitely after a shower.

****

She exhaled softly as she leaned her head back along the edge of the tub. That was the best way to start a morning if you asked her. A bath. She hummed as she slid deeper into the water.

She’d needed this.

The events of last night had continued to play over and over in her mind that it had taken a while for her to get to sleep; and then it had only lasted for a few hours before she was back up.

Even now, Kikyo couldn’t explain what Inuyasha had done to her last night, but she vowed she’d never let him get close enough to her to do it, whatever it was, a second time.

…"What will it take for you to trust me?"…

Golden eyes stared at her when she shut her eyes for a moment. How he’d broken down her walls so completely? She had no idea. Kikyo could barely remember the times when she’d been as vulnerable as she’d been last night. She had to make sure he never got a chance to do whatever he’d done to her last night again.

Granted she hadn’t at the time thought he’d disliked her that much, but it was obvious to her now that she needed to protect herself when around him. If she could, she would drag Kagome with her everywhere, but she couldn’t do that… and besides, this was her fight not her baby sisters’.

…She watched as those unusual colored eyes studied her. She wondered what he was seeing as he seemed to dissect her every feature. She worried, because she had the sinking feeling that he saw what others usually didn’t see or bother to look for. He saw her… and for some reason that revelation sent an apprehensive streak down her spine.

"I know you don’t; not yet."

"I’m not sure. No one has ever asked before."…

She couldn’t believe she’d said that, but for some reason she’d felt the need to be completely honest with him. Not that Kikyo was a liar. She usually couldn’t do it very well, since she knew what it felt like to lie, she always had a trouble doing it, so usually she didn’t bother with. The little rise in blood pressure and breathing was always a dead give away. Not to mention the little self conscious, guilty feeling was always a dead give away in others. She didn’t much care for the feeling in herself. Besides, she’d learned that the truth always found its way out.

The question she kept asking herself, which caused all her thoughts to not add up, was: why was he so nice to her?

Why’d he treat her so nicely, even go as far as to kiss her, when he wanted to hurt her?

…"Then let’s start here."

Next thing she knew his lips were softly touching hers. Kikyo had immediately gone stiff with shock and not a little bit of fear. Then he’d done something with his hands and her body had shook as a wave of something new had shot through her.

She was surprised at the softness of his lips; he was so hard everywhere else.

When something moist moved across her lips she’d gasped in surprise only to soon find his tongue in her mouth. The effect was surprising. She’d never imagined that something that seemed so… disgusting could feel so nice. Kikyo felt a burning begin in the pit of her stomach and slowly spread throughout her body pushing a moan deep from within her throat. She slowly melted against him as her heart beat faster in her chest. The feeling of her breast against him caused them to react in an unfamiliar way sending another shock wave of feeling through her.

The force of it shook her to her core. Her mind spun as she tried to understand what her body was telling her.…

Not that she wanted to think about the kiss, because she didn’t. In fact, she’d already forgotten all about it!

…His arms had fell from her waist and she’d felt immediately cold and alone. She could feel everything everyone who’d witnessed the kiss was feeling. Her walls had seemed to have fallen and she’d begun to panic as she tried to figure out how it happened as well as put them back up. Her father was so angry and everyone’s concern and curiosity was suffocating her.

With all her strength she pushed what was going on around her focused on her walls liked she’d been taught. Methodically she built them back up. Then she finally looked at Inuyasha, as he was the one person she hadn’t looked at when she’d pulled away from him.

She could feel and see his concern, but mostly she could feel his insecurity and his guilt. Kikyo hadn’t expected that to hurt so much, but it did. She needed to get out of there and away from him.

He didn’t mean to or want to kiss her.

"Goodnight," she nodded to her family and the guests still in the room. And after a moment to collect herself, while she stared at Inuyasha, she said the same to him.

"Goodnight Inuyasha."

Kikyo all but ran from the room then.…

She couldn’t believe she could be so wrong about someone. It was not like her. When she had a feeling about someone she was usually right since that feeling was usually based on the other persons own feelings and character. She’d been sure that he would never intentionally hurt her.

How could she be so wrong?

Then again, maybe she wasn’t wrong. Perhaps he hadn’t done it intentionally. She didn’t know; she was so confused. And it didn’t help matters that that queasy feeling she had experienced in her stomach last night returned every time she thought about him and pictured him in her mind.

Kikyo frowned slightly as she lathered herself down. Slowly she got to her feet as she grabbed her towel from the hook on the wall. Wrapping it around her she stepped out of the tub. She was a little worried that she was having so much trouble understanding what was going on inside her to the point where she didn’t notice the walls she’d worked so hard to make coming down. That wasn’t a good or encouraging thing.

She needed her walls. There was no way she could go beyond the palace walls without them.

Kikyo had to hold onto them at all cost. And that meant keeping her distance from Inuyasha.

****

Sango hummed as she stood under the hot spray of the shower. The warmth felt good to her body as it soothed aches and pains in muscles in places she didn’t know had muscles. But, after recent activities their existence could no longer be ignored.

She tilted her face upwards to allow the water to rain down on her as she rinsed the soap from her long locks. After lathering herself down one last time she turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. Sango turned to grab a towel from behind her before turning back around towards the mirror on the wall.

Securing the towel between her breast she swiped the surface of the mirror with her hand to clean the steam from it so she could see a clearer image of herself. Sango looked up to study her reflection then. She leaned closer to get a better look then froze.

‘Wha-’. Something wasn’t right with her image. It was strange, but the eyes weren’t right. They weren’t… right. They were too dark, and too big, and too… ‘Blink?’

Did the mirror just wink at her?

"What was that?"

Sango leaned closer as she spoke her confusion aloud. Then the reflection blinked again.

She nearly leaped out of her skin as she tried to get as far from the mirror as quickly as possible.

A woman’s face was staring back at her; and it wasn’t her own.

Sango stared wide eyed at the image in front of her as she clutched nervously at her towel. After a few moments, when it looked like all the woman was going to do was watch her (and not go away), Sango began to relax slightly.

She found herself studying the woman’s face. There was something familiar about her. There was no denying that the woman bore a resemblance to her, but now that Sango was getting a good look at the other woman, she could tell that they weren’t as close in looks as she’d first assumed from a glance. As she noted before, the woman’s eyes were much wider and darker then her own. She had high cheek bones and skin a smooth alabaster white. Her hair was a midnight black that seemed to hang straight pass her shoulders. While she was not what Sango would call ‘beautiful’, she had an elegant beauty to her that made her at least lovely to look at and perhaps unforgettable.

"What are you?" asked Sango with a swallow.

She watched as the image in the mirror lifted an eyebrow at her. Sango got the impression that she took exception to the word ‘what’.

"Um. Who are you?"

The woman tilted her head as she regarded the younger woman in front of her.

"You don’t remember."

It was not a question. Sango was to one to raise an eyebrow this time. Remember? What was it Sango was suppose to be remembering?

"It dictates your future, but you do not know its past," the woman continued. "If you are to stop it, you must learn, you must see. You, who can see both the past and the future of others but not her own. You live my future, you shall see my past, and with it, the truth. The Eye shall see, the Heart shall feel, and the Body shall heal. Only the eye, the heart, and the body, together, can stop it."

Sango had started in shock when the image had continued to speak and she’d realized the woman had been talking about her ability to not only to see the future or, at least, one possibility of a future, but her ability to see the past as well. That realization was enough to shut her up, but as the woman continued Sango just became confused. She had no idea what the woman in the mirror was talking about anymore.

"Stop what?" asked Sango. Taking an unconscious step closer to the mirror she tilted her head in question. "What are you talking about?"

"First, learn the past or you shall repeat it."

"Repeat what?" she asked taking another step closer.

"You shall see," answered the woman as she slowly began to fade.

"What?"

Realizing the image was leaving Sango began to feel a little anxious. Something in her was screaming to find out exactly what the woman was talking about. She had the unexplainable feeling it was important.

And she couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman was giving her a kind of warning. Question was: a warning about what?

"WAIT!! I don’t understand what your trying to tell me! What will be repeated? How do you know about my visions? Who are you?"

Sango was almost shouting at the mirror by the last question. She was feeling a bit a desperate and not just a bit panicky. Who was this woman and how did she know about her? And if she knew about her did she know about her sisters too?

"I gave it to you. A gift, to help you here after."

The image of the woman was almost gone completely, but she could still here the low husky sound of her voice very well. Almost as if she was still in the mirror, even though Sango could no longer see her.

But, what she heard was not what she’d expected.

‘What did she mean she gave me a gift? What gift?’ Then she stilled. Could the woman be referring to her visions? But, it didn’t make any sense. How could she have given her the visions? It wasn’t possible. She was sure she’d never seen the woman before. And why was she standing here talking to a woman in a mirror, who hadn’t been there before now, and actually believing what the woman was saying? Sango wasn’t sure which was worse; the mirror talking or her talking to the mirror.

But. There was no getting around the fact the woman knew about her secret. Even her father didn’t know she could see the past as well. Who was this woman? She had a feeling, from her words earlier, that ‘was’ was the operative word too.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Sango yelled at the mirror though she wasn’t expecting to get a response. The woman had already left.

She was just about to turn away from the mirror when it began to change. Her eyes widened as she watched in shocked fascination as a name was spelled out in kanji, the old script, on the mirrors’ surface.

Sango slowly reached out her hand and gently touched the mirror with her fingertips across the writing. She just had to be sure she was really seeing what she thought she was seeing. As she slowly ran a fingertip along the writing she spoke the name aloud.

"Midoriko."

And then with a slight jolt her body slid silently to the floor, as if being gently placed there, as her world went dark.

****

Her eyes popped open.

Sango slowly sat up and took a cautious look around her. She was sitting in a large grassy field with flowers of different colors around her. She could here a rushing sound coming from somewhere to her left which gave her the impression that there was probably a stream of some sort not to far away. Looking over her shoulder she could see nothing but open field.

Suffice to say; she was no longer in her bathroom.

Sango could feel the moisture from the grass seeping through her towel. ‘Towel?’ She looked down at herself then. However she came to be in the strange place she’d come in only her bath towel.

Where was she? And more importantly; how did she get here?

She quietly stood to her feet as she held a tight grip to her towel. The air was heavy there and there was a light mist hovering about three inches above the ground. The sky had a grayish tint to it like that of an autumn morning after it had rained the entire night. The fresh smell of wet grass with an underlining taste of sweetness hung on the light breeze.

There were a line of trees in front of her not far in the distance, but looking behind her, there was only an open field full of flowers stretching as far as the eye could see

She’d seen this place before.

Sango wasn’t sure when or where, but she knew she’d been there before. When she turned around, she caught the sight of a figure entering the tree line in the distance. She only paused a moment before moving to follow the person.

"HELLO?!" she screamed out to get the other persons attention,

No one seemed to have heard her though. Sango had hoped that the person would have heard her; she hadn’t been that far away from them. But, no one stopped or turned back towards her, in fact, she could no longer see the person she was sure she’d seen walk into the forest.

Sango slowed down as she reached the tree line. As she crept slowly into the forest she kept her eyes and ears peeled for any unusual sounds or sights. Spotting a small almost invisible dirt trail leading through the trees, she decided to follow it rather then roam around, what looked to be a very large forest, alone.

Sango had been walking for about five minutes and hadn’t seen anything that looked remotely like humans or youkai anywhere. The wind had picked up a bit and she knew she should be feeling cold or at least a chill, but in truth she could feel nothing. It was as if the wind was just there to be seen and not felt. For show.

She was beginning to get bored and tired and was debating turning back around and going back to where she’d started when she heard a sound.

Sango stopped dead and tilted her head to the side to see if she could hear it again and maybe determine where it was coming from. She frowned as the sound wrung through the air again. It sounded like laughter. And it was coming from her left.

Quickly she headed in the direction of the laughter. She could faintly hear the sound of water again, and as the sound increased she knew she was going in the right direction.

Sango walked through the trees and soon they opened up to reveal a small clearing. It was in the shape of a perfect circle hidden within the trees. There were the same flowers on the ground there as there were back in the field she’d awakened up in. It was a very beautiful place… and apparently a very private one. On the other side of the small meadow, was a river that ran through the forest. Sango could see that on the opposite side of the river there were trees that extended in all directions.. It seemed that the only way to reach this place was to know where it lay already or somehow come down the river

Sango walked further into the clearing as she clutched her towel tighter to her chest. She stooped down and picked a flower from the ground. It was a silly curiosity that stemmed from her childhood fascination with flowers of all kinds; and she’d never seen flowers of quite that shade of pink and orange before. Pressing the flower to her nose, she inhaled it’s sweet scent. She was starting to believe the place was real when she finally noticed them.

They were standing in the shade of a tree. The man had his large back pressed firmly against the tree while he held the woman secure in his arms. It was the same woman from the mirror, but this time it was all of her and not just her head and shoulders. Sango could see now that her long dark hair fell past her waist and with her coloring she held more then just a mere resemblance to the Higurashi daughters.

Sango found herself wondering, once again, who she was.

Midoriko.

She could hear the name whisper through her mind as if someone was answering her unspoken question. But the name didn’t even begin to answer her question, because she had never heard the name before, so it held no significance or meaning for her..

Her eyes shifted to the man behind the young woman then. Sango froze then. Her eyes went wide as they locked onto crimson orbs.

She knew that face.

Granted she’d never seen the face in person for he’d died long before she was born, but she’d seen his portrait enough to know the face. Besides, her father was almost an exact replica of this man.

"Hiouji-san?" she whispered softly; not knowing she spoke aloud.

Sango watched in confusion as the woman turned her head to look up at the man holding her before turning her gaze to Sango. Quietly the woman removed herself from the man’s arms and moved in her direction. Sango shook slightly from the sudden chill in the air or nerves, she didn’t know, as she stood her ground and waited.

Who was this woman and why was she in the arms of her great-grandfather? She wasn’t her great-grandmother, because Sango did not recognize her. Then again, did her great-grandfather even have a mate? Sango wasn’t sure for she couldn’t recall ever seeing a picture of a mate of her hiouji-san or, for that matter, ever here anyone speak of a mate.

But, he must have had one. Right?

Sango crossed her arms in front of her to ward off the chill in the air as the woman stopped in front of her. She had no idea why the air had taken a drastic change in temperature, but that was the least of her worries. What the hell was going on?

"I am Midoriko," spoke the woman in a soft voice. "It is time for the truth to finally be known. They have forgotten me, but you shall be the first to remember and through you so shall the others." She sighed heavily then and looked down at her hands. "Perhaps with the truth four hundred years of killing will come to an end. I am so tired, so very tired."

"What truth?" Sango didn’t know where she’d gotten the gumption to speak, but there it was.

"There is only one truth, my child." Gently she reached up to place a palm on Sango’s forehead. Sango tried hard not to shy away from the ice cold touch. "And you shall know it."

Then Sango saw a bright white light coming from beneath Midoriko’s palm before her world went dark and with a soft sigh she fell gently to the ground once more.

"Are you sure about this, koi?" asked the man from behind the woman as his eyes rested on the great-granddaughter he never had a chance to know. He couldn’t help noting how beaatiful she was.

"It is time." Midoriko smiled down at the child she’d chosen to be a seer. "She is beautiful, yes?" she could sense the nod her mate gave without turning to actually see it. "You should see the other two. They are just as beautiful."

She waved her hand and the body of the young woman disappeared. Midoriko turned to her mate then.

"The first step has already been made. They are married to InuTaisho’s sons."

"What?" he gave her a look mixed with shock and confusion. "How?"

"I don’t know," she sighed for that had been worrying her as well. "It was not my doing. All I know is that the Emperor made some sort of decree, not that I trust that… we shall see. She knows the truth now. All she has to do is remember it and the second step will be finished."

He nodded in agreement. It was time to bring it to end. He, too, was ready to rest.

"It is all my fault. They’ve fought for so long that none, except for one, still remain and know what truly happened."

He placed a clawed finger beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to his. He would never get tired of looking into the eyes of the woman he loved. He had his life time, no matter how short it was, and now he had eternity to continue looking.

"You are not responsible for what he did."

"No, but it was my duty to obey him. He was my father. I’d known it all my life. But, in the end I did not obey and someone I cared about… someone we both cared about, was hurt."

"I know, love. But what could we have done. No one would listen when you tried to stop it."

"I could have done my duty… and you would have forgotten all about me."

"NO!" he pulled her tightly against him then. "You were mine then and you are mine now. There was no other option."

She sighed as she pressed her face to his chest. He was right and she knew it. There was no denying it now and there was no way she could have chosen any other way. But, if she’d have know such a future would have followed their decision she would have tried the other option. She would have been unhappy and certain things would not have come to pass, but there would have not been so much death and sorrow.

It was her fault and she was meaning to put it right.

"Its been four hundred years Hiroshi. We’ve been stuck here for four centuries. I never thought I’d be tired of seeing this place, but I am. I am so tired, so tired of it all."

Hiroshi wrapped his arms around her and sighed. He too was ready to move on. He’d never been very good at standing back and watching from the sidelines, and he’d been watching for a long time.

It was time to act.

****

"Sango. Wake up, Sango."

Miroku shook her gently, but soon stopped that when he noticed it was doing any good. He’d watched her leave the bed for the bathroom and had assumed she’d gone to take a bath. He knew she hadn’t slept to well through the night, because he’d felt restlessness through the night. Figuring she was probably sore from their activities the night before, he’d decided that it would be best to leave her alone for a while.

He knew if he were in her position he’d be very upset with the person who’d caused him the pain… good reasons or not.

So, he’d pretended to still be asleep. When he’d felt her getting up he took a chance at opening his eyes. That’s when he’d seen her entering the bathroom. But, after she’d been in there for an hour an a half and it had been over forty-five minutes since he’d heard anything from the bathroom, he’d begun to worry.

Miroku had called out to her then. And after three time of calling for her and three times of getting no answer he’d decided to go and investigate/ He knew he was possibly setting himself up to be yelled at, but he needed to be sure she was okay.

That’s when he’d entered the bathroom to find her lying wrapped in a towel and passed out on the floor.

He’d quickly debated with himself whether he should go get help as he lifted her into his arms and brought her back to the bed. After determining her pulse was still strong and healthy he’d decided to try and wake her himself.

That had been fifteen minutes ago and she still hadn’t opened her eyes, though she had moaned one when he’d run a finger along her cheek.

"Come on, love. Open your eyes for me."

He gently rubbed the back of his finger along one side of her face as he gazed down at her. He softly tapped her cheek.

"Sango love, wake up!" he sighed as he heard her groan again. "That’s it! Come on Sango. Open your eyes love." He watched as her eyes moved beneath her closed lids then try to flutter open. "Yes. Sango open your eyes. Come on, sweetheart open your eyes for me."

Sango could hear someone calling her name. Sango love, wake up! She was sure she knew that voice, but for some reason her head was throbbing something fierce. She tried to open her eyes, but she figured it hadn’t worked because the darkness was still there. Then she heard the familiar voice calling to her again. Come on, sweetheart open your eyes for me.

"Miroku?" she tried calling out to him, but it didn’t sound quite how she’d intended to her ears. She tried again to open her eyes.

Miroku watched transfixed as she groaned and fluttered her eyes again. He could sense her pain and wondered at it’s extent, but he couldn’t ask her until she woke up.

When her eyes gave a full blink he released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He watched as her chocolate eyes slowly came to focus and rested on his own. He waited a moment longer for her to get her equilibrium back. Miroku watched as her eyes darted around the room as if she was trying to see where she was at before they came back to rest on his face again. Didn’t she know where she was?

"Miroku?"

"Hey," he smiled at her then. She was going to be alright. "How are you feeling? It looked as if you had quite a fall in the bathroom."

"Fall?" she gazed at him in confusion as she tried to remember what he was referring to. Sango could remember going to take a shower and she remembered getting out of it. She’d been having a restless night… She shook her head slightly to clear it of the cobwebs as she tried to think.

Miroku saw the look of confusion on her face and gave her a curious one of his own. Didn’t she remember what happened? He wondered, again, if she’d possibly knocked her head when she fell. It had been his first worry. He’d rubbed his palm along the back of her head and the sides by her temples and hair line; he hadn’t found any lumps or raised skin. He figured it was possible that she may have knocked her head, but no lump had formed yet. He didn’t sense that she was in any physical pain.either. Since he didn’t hear her fall in the bathroom there was no telling how long she’d been out. So, he guessed the fall could be fairly recent therefore not resulting in a lump yet.

Her body had been on the cold side though and he was sure Sango wasn’t in the habit of taking cold showers in the mornings or ever.

Miroku wasn’t sure why, but he had the strange feeling she’d been lying on the floor of the bathroom for quite a while. He just had that feeling…

"Sango?"

Sango’s eyes focused on his again. She recalled standing in front of the mirror because she was about to brush her hair… but, something had stopped her. Something wi- no. No. Something was in the mirror. In the mirror?? Sango frowned at her thoughts. That didn’t make since. Did it? No, but it sound right.

Kami-sama, she had a headache!

Sango blinked in concentration when the face of a woman with long dark hair and dark eyes flashed before her eyes. She sucked in a breath then as it all came back to her then. Sango froze as she remembered what the woman said to her in the mirror and then how she’d somehow ended up in a forest, a forest that seemed very familiar now that she was thinking back on it, and what she’d seen and been told there.

"Midoriko… hiouji-san…."

Miroku leaned closer to hear her whisper, but for the life of him he had no idea what they meant. Didn’t the late Lord Higurashi die nearly four hundred years ago? He could have sworn that that was how the story went... And who was Midoriko? He didn’t think he’d ever heard the name before.

"San-" he began, but was cut off by her whisper.

"Didn’t fall…"

"What?"

"I didn’t fall," she clarified as she looked at him. "She put me there."

"I don’t understand Sango. Are you sure your not remember things wrong? I didn’t see anyone come in here and I’ve been awake since you went into the bathroom." He saw her raise an eyebrow at that, but he continued on before she could ask him anything he wasn’t prepared to answer. "It’s funny really, now that I think about it, but I never actually heard you hit the floor. In fact, I didn’t hear anything."

She could see the question in his eyes as he gazed intently at her. She could also see the worry. Love. He’d called her love… Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to process that revelation and figure out how she could explain to him what had happened in the bathroom without telling him certain other things. Did he mean what he’d called her? Was she his love or was it another endearment that flowed from his lips like water? For everyone and held no special meaning. She wasn’t sure what to think on that and she couldn’t ask him, because she didn’t think she could handle it if his answer was a no. As for what happened in the bathroom; she didn’t see how she could tell him the truth without telling him her secret. Sango didn’t think he was ready to hear about her gift and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell him or how to tell him. How do you tell someone that even though both your parents are youkai that for all intents and purposes you yourself was human? How do you tell someone that even though you were human for the most part you still held the sight, agility and hearing of the neko-youkai you were meant to be? And how did you tell them that not only did you acquire a familiar that could change into the youkai form you were meant to be you also had an ability to see not only the future, but things that have also come to pass as well? How did you tell a person all that and expect them to believe you and not think your crazy??

You don’t, that’s how. Or, at least, not yet.

Besides, it wasn’t only her secret to tell. Her sisters had to agree with her because once one brother was told the other two would know very soon after she was sure. They had to agree when the time was right for the Masaharus to know, and that was that.

Until then, it remained a secret.

He watched as her eyes flickered as she debated something to herself then they hardened in resolution when her decision, whatever it was, was made. What was it she didn’t want to tell him? Why didn’t she want him to know?

"Sango who was in the bathroom?" he asked quietly because he was getting the feeling that maybe someone had been.

"No one," she lied. He watched as a shadow crossed her face. "Nothing happened. I must have tripped on the rushes or something," her eyes pleaded with him to not ask her anymore questions.

He desperately wanted to, but he couldn’t deny her plea. He just hoped that whatever it was, she would realize soon that she could trust him with whatever it was. Miroku gave her a small nod and eased back a little giving her room to sit up.

He locked eyes with her then.

"Whenever you’re ready to tell me, I’ll be here."

Sango sat frozen as she stared back at him. What did she say to that? She couldn’t deny she way holding something from him, he already could tell she was. Besides, she’d never been any good at lying. She just gave a small nod.

"I need to get dressed. I have to find Kikyo and Kagome," she said quietly; letting him know she needed him to move so she could get up.

Miroku moved out of her way as he stood from the bed. He watched silently as she got gracefully to her feet and moved towards the closet. Quietly he observed as she pulled on a pair of loose slacks in a light tan color and dark brown shirt that wrapped around her middle and tied together under her left arm. She deftly pulled her flowing hair up into a messy knot at the back of her head as she slipped her feet into a pair of house slippers.

Sango moved quietly to the door when she finished dressing, but came to a stop before walking out. She turned to look at her husband and found his eyes were already on her. After hesitating for a moment she moved swiftly back to him on quiet feet and raised herself slightly to her toes and placed her mouth on his softly.

Miroku couldn’t help but take what she was so sweetly offering. He wasn’t that strong. He slowly deepened the kiss as he languidly swept his tongue inside her mouth to touch hers. She was a quick learner he noted as she rubbed her tongue along his in return. He did this twice more before pulling back slightly to bring the kiss to an end. He rubbed his lips along her fuller one before removing his hands from her shoulders. He didn’t remember putting them up there.

Sango sighed softly before turning back around and leaving the room quietly. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked out.

****

Sango found Kikyo first.

She was where Sango had figured she’d be: the library. If there was at least one thing Kikyo was predictable about it was her fondness for the library. She could always be found snuggled in one of the plush chairs with her feet curled up beneath her, Mala in her lap and a book in her hands.

"Hello nee-chan," said Kikyo quietly; her eyes never leaving her book. Her fingers continued to stroke Mala’s spotted fur.

"Jitsumai(2)," sighed Sango as she moved towards her sister. "Thank Kami you’re predictable.."

Kikyo’s head came up then. Sango never called her that except for two reasons; to annoy her or if something was wrong..

When reaching her sister’s sitting figure she immediately dropped herself to the floor and rested her head on her sister’s knee. She heard Mala give an indignant mew from behind her head then.

"Sorry Mala." She figured the temperamental feline had forgiven her for usurping her spot on her mistress’s lap when she felt a soft boot on the back of her head and a purr from the neko.

Kikyo could feel the emotions coming from her sister in waves. She’d come to the library to think and be alone for a while, but she knew there was no way she could send her sister away when she was feeling so bad. There was so much sadness and confusion coming from her Sango it was almost overwhelming. Kikyo could also sense a small bit of fear and a bit of curiosity as well. Curiosity? Now, that had her curious.

She gently shut her book and laid it to the side before placing her hands in Sango’s hair. She deftly untied the knot in her hair to let it flow loose so she could stroke her fingers through the long mass of hair. Kikyo knew that Sango was always calmer when someone rubbed there fingers through her hair.

Sango sighed softly as she felt her hair loosened from the nape of her neck and her sister’s fingers began to move freely through it. She curled her knees up closer to her as she made herself more comfotable on the carpeted floor. Sango swiped at a lone tear that decided to streak its way down her cheek then.

She was worried and she didn’t know what to do.

"Tell me."

Sango heard her sister’s whispered request, but didn’t begin talking just yet. She was going to; after all it was why she came looking for her. She just didn’t want to have to tell the story twice so she was waiting. Sango knew Kagome would be along soon; she always showed up at the right time. She figured it was apart of Kagome’s gift; knowing when she was needed.

Kikyo understood her sister’s silence. She’d figured Sango would want to wait for Kagome and she was in agreement. Kagome and their mother were always the best ones to go to at times like this, so she was fully in agreement that they should wait for their youngest sibling. Besides, Sango still needed to calm down some more.

They sat there quietly, one stroking the others hair, as they waited. Nearly five minutes had passed when Kagome came rushing into the room hair streaming in a thick braid behind her.

"Ki, is anything wrong?" she said as she was coming through the doorway. "I felt you…"

Kagome trailed off as she stopped just inside the door to take in the scene before her. Kikyo was curled up in the large arm chair that she liked best in the library and Sango was curled at her feet on the floor with her head resting on Kikyo’s bent knees. Kikyo was lightly stroking Sango’s hair and she couldn’t decide which one of them looked more in pain. She knew that at such close range Kikyo wouldn’t be shielding herself from Sango, besides she rarely shielded herself from her sisters when they were alone.

"Oh, Sango…" she sighed as she moved towards them.

Kagome took seat on the floor beside Sango and took one of her hands in her own. She brought her knees up to her chest then rested her cheek on her arm as she brought it to lie on her knees.

"I’m here now. Tell us."

After a few moments of quiet Sango told them everything. She told them about her conflicting emotions about Miroku’s feelings for her. She told them of the dream she couldn’t remember. And then she told them about the face in the bathroom mirror and what had happened after she touched the name that had been written across the mirrors surface.

They all sat in stunned silence as they each tried to process what she’d just told them.

"Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming Sango? Or maybe you hit your head when you fell?"

"I don’t dream that well, Kags," sighed Sango. "The thing is, the whole thing had the feel of one of my visions yet, different somehow. And the forest," she added as she lifted her head from her sister’s lap, "it was familiar, like I had seen it before, but I know I haven’t been outside of the castle walls since we were children."

They stared into one another’s eyes for a moment, then Kagome gave a slight nod of her head as if coming to a decision, then looked up towards Kikyo. If what Sango was saying was true, then….she didn’t know.

"What do you think Ki?"

"She believes what she is saying."

"I know that," she frowned at her sister. This was not a time for jokes. "What do you think of it? Do you think it’s possible?"

Kikyo sighed then and focused her hazel eyes on the fire in the far wall.

"Anything is possible, jitsumai. You said the woman mentioned four hundred years of killing right?" She waited for Sango’s nod in agreement before continuing, "Then it sounds to me like she could be talking about the fight between our family and the Masaharus, no? I believe it’s been about the same amount of time. Now that I think about it, do either of you know what started the fight between us?"

They both shook their heads in the negative.

"Exactly. All we’ve ever been told is that it has to do with that strip of land between our two territories. Is there anyone who can tell us? I wonder if any of them even know."

"I think jii-chan may know. I have a feeling he’s always known. Question is; will he tell us?" said Kagome thoughtfully.

"No. Jii-chan isn’t the only one who knows. I do as well." Sango looked to both her sisters before continuing, "I think that’s what the lady did to me when she touched my forehead and her hand glowed. I could feel the heat from her palm as the light grew. And she said I would be the first to remember the truth. We weren’t even born yet, so the only way I could remember something is if she had given me it to remember."

Kikyo nodded as she adopted a pensive look. "So we wait and see what you learn and then we go to Jii-chan and we move from there."

"But, I have no idea when this truth is going to be revealed to me. What if its not for a long time?"

"Then we go to Jii-chan first."

"How will we get him to talk to us?" asked Kagome thoughtfully.

"Simple. We let him think he’s telling us something we already know."

"Okay…" she waited a heart beat for Kikyo to elaborate before asking the obvious. "And how do we do that?"

"We give him something that apparently no one else seems to know; her name. Midoriko. She did say that everyone had forgotten her, but maybe Toutousai-san hasn’t. If we know her, the one who seems to have been there four hundred years ago, then we must know everything else right? Besides, I doubt we’ll have to resort to that. I don’t think it will be long before Sango will remember."

Sango and Kagome exchanged looks before Sango laid her head back down on Kikyo while Kikyo returned her gaze to the fire.

"You really saw hiouji-san?" asked Kagome after a few minutes with a hint of wonder in her voice.

"Yes," smiled Sango. "He had his hair in the high ponytail like in his portrait and his eyes were as crimson as father’s are. He didn’t have the scar on his cheek that father said he sustained not long before his death, and he looks a lot like father without it. It was weird to see him not in a portrait, but nice."

All three of them sat quietly as they thought back on what Sango had learned and what it could possibly mean. Kikyo was wondering what the woman meant when she told Sango that only the Eyes, the Heart and the Body can protect them. Who could she be talking about? And if it wasn’t the land that had started them fighting why were they fighting over it now? It never did make any sense to her.

"He called me ‘love’."

Kikyo and Kagome exchanged glances before focusing on there sister’s whispered confession. What could possibly be wrong with that? They both knew who "he" was.

"Isn’t that a good thing nee-chan?" asked Kagome softly as she rubbed her thumb over Sango’s knuckles.

"It would be, if I didn’t think he called every woman by the name. It means nothing to him. I also think I hurt him this morning when I didn’t tell him what had happened in the bathroom. But, how can I tell him that without telling him about my visions. I’m not sure if I trust him… and he knows it."

"Oh Sango…" breathed Kagome as she squeezed her hand.

Kikyo could feel her sister’s pain over this and knew that she was hurting so much because she wanted to believe Miroku, but was afraid to. She and Kagome shared another look while Sango had her eyes closed. They both had been on the receiving end of Miroku’s charms, but neither of them had been called ‘love’ by the lecher. They knew that it was only for Sango, but they couldn’t explain that to her. Not yet. Sango wasn’t in a mood to believe them and they knew in this case only Sango could help Sango. She had to find her reason to believe in him for herself. No one could give her that.

She continued to stroke Sango’s hair while she allowed herself to share her pain. She could feel Kagome using her miko powers to soothe Sango’s aura as she sat holding her hand. Neither one of them had ever been in love before, so they had no advice to offer her. Instead they gave Sango what they could and hoped she had the strength within her to get what she needed on her own.

Perhaps it was time Sango went to their mother… oOo  

Hiouji-san: great-grandfather (respectful)

Jitsumai: younger sister