Demon Slayer Sango

Chapter 5

Miroku didn't know why but it irked him to suddenly see Sesshomaru carrying Sango. Approaching the village swiftly, the unlikely pair drifted forward as the slayer looked about with a dazed expression. Sesshomaru set her back on the ground carefully once they reached Kaede's hut. The monk then heard Sango explain something to Inuyasha about the demon coming for her. Coming for her? What did that mean? Sesshomaru famously disliked humans. He was a full blooded youkai, a natural adversary to her and pretty much everyone else present.

Sango caught the puzzled expression on Miroku's face and knew he would approach to ask questions. Her head still spun from the fact that she'd been held in the arms of a taiyoukai, and with apparent circumspect care. Of course the purpose had been merely to get to the village, but there had been after effects-- for Sango it seemed almost...pleasant. She blushed remembering the feel of his body through his fine clothing, how solid and warm it felt. His arms had been like iron but he'd held her with the gentleness of a glass sculpture. It had been strangely comforting, this brief up-close contact with the famously cold and forbidding inu demon. Her heart beat fast and the blood rushed in her veins.

Sango wondered if his powerful youkai aura had something to do with her odd feelings. Recalling her taijiya training Sango knew that taiyoukai had especially strong auras that were often known to significantly disturb the space around them, sometimes to the extent of affecting the moods of other beings. Surely that is all it was. A slight tingle ran through her body and her eyes looked away. 'Oh no, have I been staring?'

She watched as Inuyasha hovered closely behind his elder half-brother, shadowing him as he stepped inside the hut to observe little Takeo. Taking a breath of air she finally turned her attention to Miroku.

"What is going on? Why was Sesshomaru carrying you like that?" asked the visibly perturbed monk. He realized he probably had no right to these possessive feelings and even less right to express them but found he simply couldn't help himself.

"I-I'm not sure. He asked me if I was in pain. " She indicated her bandaged thigh. "Then he just-- took me...I don't really know what he wants, Miroku. I ran into that little girl who is always with him, Rin, a while ago-- I assume that is why he's here. He sent a messenger earlier to get me but I sent him away because of Kagome."

"What about Rin? What were you doing with her?" Sango went on to explain the strange day she found the distressed little girl and her subsequent exchange with Sesshomaru. "I'm guessing that is why he's back now. To bring me to her for some reason."

Miroku sighed worriedly. "Be careful Sango, that's all I ask. We've had dealings with that demon before. Sesshomaru can be very dangerous, but you know that. I couldn't stand it if something were to happen to you," he declared, stepping closer and taking both of her hands in his. Gazing deeply into her shining eyes, Miroku longed to kiss her. There had only been a couple of times she let him taste the sweetness of her lips. These memories were sweet and fleeting, and he longed to recreate them as a vast wave of tenderness washed over his emotions.

"You are kind to worry, but I can take care of myself. I'll be fine..." Sango felt a tension building. He wanted something. Needing to head things off, she gently stroked his cheek and then pulled away.

"Sango!" Forcefully snatching her back to him, the desperate monk clasped his arms tightly around her waist. He didn't want to let her go. Yearning lips suddenly caressed her own, hurriedly searching her mouth. She did not return the frantic kiss but did not shove him away either. 'Poor Miroku,' she thought, feeling sad for him. 'Fate hasn't been kind to us'.

At that moment Inuyasha and Sesshomaru emerged from the hut to see the monk wrapped around Sango. The elder demon made no expression while Inuyasha furrowed his brow and spoke in a warning tone. "Let her go Miroku." He could tell his taijiya friend hadn't exactly welcomed the monk's embrace and took a step forward.

"Its alright Inuyasha." Sango managed to disentangle herself from Miroku and now looked at him with a serious expression. "I'm sorry...I can't..."

"I know." He released her hands and looked back at the hanyou and the youkai. He then returned his sad gaze to her. It crushed him to realize Sango felt nothing. Nothing at all. He'd kissed many women before and knew when affection was returned. She'd stood stock still as he searched her with his tongue, not resisting but not acknowledging or returning his advances either. Sango just didn't feel that way about him, not any more. He took a step back, shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry, Sango. I shouldn't have--"

"It's alright, Miroku. I understand. But you can see now..." She squeezed his hand to reassure him.

"Thanks for not whacking me." He grinned mischieviously in an attempt to break the tension.

She laughed out loud and smiled sweetly. "Oh don't worry. But if you ever do that again I'll break your fingers!" He returned her smile with a rueful grin. Realizing things were back to normal Inuyasha relaxed his tense stance, while Sesshomaru merely waited. 'Tiresome humans,' he thought to himself.

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"The pup has been whelped," grumbled a rough, deep voice.

"How soon can our plans be put forward?" murmured a second weaker one.

"Our contacts in the valley will keep a lookout for the best possible moment--"

"Are you sure this will succeed? It will mean our lives and worse if we fail."

"Just listen to me and follow orders. Our day will come. Sesshomaru will be no more, and we will have our puppet."

"A quarter inu? How will they follow a near full-blooded human whelp?"

"Don't worry about that. Just do as I say."

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The wind rushed by as Sango held tightly to Kirara's back, the double-tailed cat having transformed into her larger form to carry the demon slayer. Rather than fight the uptight demon Sango had simply given in and agreed to go with Sesshomaru to the Inuyoukai Palace. He now sailed just ahead of them as they traveled quickly over the treetops.

In the end Sango had reasoned the trouble of refusing simply had not been worth it. Surely he was taking her to Rin, and she actually didn't mind seeing the girl again. The situation at Kaede's looked good. Kagome and the baby were thriving-- the child ate and slept while youngsters in the village brought gifts and food to the new mother and her baby. Inuyasha proudly stood guard over his new family, happily accepting the congratulations of passersby.

The hanyou had called Sango aside in an attempt to persuade her not to go. He simply did not trust his pain-in-the-ass, power-tripping half-brother. How many times had the asshole cursed him as a filthy half-breed? How many times had they battled over their father's fang? He offered to try to distract Sesshomaru with an argument so that the demon would leave and forget about her. Sango thanked him but declined, reminding her friend that he had more important personal matters to look after.

"I'll be fine Inuyasha. Go to Kagome and Takeo."

"Whatever. Its your ass. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Now as they whisked along over the top of the trees, Sango realized she had questions. The demon lord had confirmed that the purpose of bringing her to the inuyoukai stronghold was Rin. 'I thought so,' Sango said inwardly. "Is she well?"

Sesshomaru spoke with his back to the huntress and Kirara. "Yes. She requested your presence. I decided to grant it." A fine, dangerously clawed hand adjusted the fur pelt on his shoulder.

In truth Sango resented being treated like a plaything for a child but decided to keep her opinions to herself for her own safety. "How long must I be at the palace, Sesshomaru-sama?" She tried to sound respectful.

"As long as I wish it, huntress. But it shouldn't be for long."

"So I am to be a prisoner?" Unable to help staring at his back, she noted the satiny magnificence of his long hair. The late afternoon sunlight tinged it in shades of copper and gold, and feathery tendrils danced in the wind as he moved along. Sango berated herself for wanting to touch it. 'What would father think? His daughter seeing beauty in a demon...'

"If you wish to see it as such that is your affair. You will be compensated for your time... By the way, I have not forgotten your disobedience."

'So what, you ice block of a demon.' "I have duties to the human villages. I can't just take off this way. What if I decide to leave now--"

"You will be destroyed." His tone was distinctly deadly. Sango fell silent.

As they rode silently over the treetops she pondered what in the world this strange demon had in store for her when they got back to his fortress. Was it really just for Rin? She had personally seen him strangle a snake demon to death, working deftly and disinterestedly as if it were a walk in the forest. He could be deadly, this she knew. She had Hiraikotsu and her katana-- would these be enough to defend herself? What about Rin? Surely he couldn't harm her right away if he was bringing her to attend the child...

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"My lord." Tamaku bowed low to Sesshomaru. "There have been reports of disturbances near the southeastern border. Jitsuo's clan makes noises about breaking away from the confederation. Matuko is here. He urgently requests an audience." The noble inu demon accosted Sesshomaru as soon as the small group had been sighted approaching the gates of the palace. The demon lord held him off and said a few quick words to the gatekeeper who quickly led Sango and Kirara inside. Returning his attention to the grave looking assistant, he walked briskly to an audience hall where the loyal clan lord Matuko now waited with a report.

A squat, burly inu demon, Lord Matuko had fought in Sesshomaru's army at the time of the insurrections after Inutaisho's untimely death. He had remained loyal to the son as he had been to the father, and what he'd learned recently troubled him greatly. Warriors were being recruited and massed off the southeastern edge of the territory, close to his own stronghold situated nearer to the center of the Western lands. There had been grumblings of moving against the central authority-- Sesshomaru's authority.

"Make your report, Matuko."

"Sesshomaru-sama, I personally saw numbers of warriors being trained with bow and arrow and lance. They were Jitsuo's people. Low-class, filthy dogs if you ask me."

"I don't want an opinion, Matuko. Make your report."

"Yes, my lord." He bowed and continued. "At night there are gatherings in the forest-- Jitsuo and his generals make speeches to inflame the warriors. There is drinking and shouting and fighting--"

"What was said?"

"I couldn't make all of it out, Sesshomaru-sama. But it sounded distinctly aggressive to my lord..."

"Aggressive in what way?" An eyebrow cocked. Sesshomaru had long realized his southeastern border was a weakness. The demons of that area had historical and cultural differences that separated them from most of the rest of the inuyoukai community. They even looked different physically. Most had reddish-brown hair with hazel eyes, and a stockier build. Their cousins in the rest of the territory tended to be darker and more reedlike in stature. Sesshomaru's (and Inuyasha's and now Takeo's) rare light coloring resulted from a genetic variation passed down from Inutaisho's paternal line. Some called it the royal mark.

The conscious differences between Jistuo's inuyoukai and those in the rest of the territory occasionally led to resistance when the central authority worked to assimilate them. Over time there had been numerous skirmishes and reprisals against Jitsuo's clan for raids on other inu settlements. Sesshomaru had seen to some matters personally. He disciplined their leader, effectively humiliating him in front of his generals by slashing Jitsuo's face with Toukijin and leaving a disfiguring scar.

"I believe they mean to move on the central fortress, my lord." Sesshomaru shot a hard stare at the grave looking demon. This was outright rebellion. He made a turn about the room, seemingly lost in thought. Finally he spoke.

"I see. You have done well, Matuko. We will see to this...activity. If Jitsuo has not learned his lesson I will have to teach him again." The demon lord spoke in the same even voice he used to describe the weather. Dismissing the squat youkai to return to his lands, Sesshomaru indicated that Tamaku should remain.

"Have him followed. I mean to know what is really going on," said Sesshomaru. "And contact our informant in Jitsuo's court. Find out why no report has been made. Take appropriate action." Tamaku nodded and promptly retreated from the hall to carry out his master's orders.

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"This is quite a place Kirara," remarked Sango as she walked the corridors of one wing of the inu palace. Her thigh ached only a little bit now though the demon slayer still walked with a slight limp. The cat had returned to her smaller form and now rested on the exterminator's shoulder. Following a young servant girl to what presumably would be her room in the palace, Sango gawked at the sights around her. The walls of the palace were high and ancient, the hallways and galleries wide and richly floored in elaborately decorated patterns, none of which she recognized. Everything gleamed and appeared freshly polished.

"Exterminator. Welcome to the Palace of the Inuyoukai. That will be all, Saki." A dignified looking demoness emerged from the shadows and stood before them. The young servant girl then retreated, off to her regular duties elsewhere in the palace.

Hisako's eyes slowly trailed over her new guests. The human woman wore an odd uniform of black and pink. Presumably it had something to do with to her demon slaying work, but the demoness couldn't be sure having known no other adult human female to compare her to. Hisako noted her otherwise pleasing appearance, thinking her quite fetching with a lovely figure and pretty face. Glittering dark eyes betrayed an alert intelligence, perhaps even shrewdness. Her hair gleamed even in the subdued light, and Hisako imagined her quite striking garbed in appropriate feminine attire and properly dressed hair.

The noble demoness caught herself briefly wondering if her lord's only motive in bringing this human to the palace had to do with Rin. Sesshomaru was known not to have significant relationships with females per se, but Hisako had heard tales of his taste for bedroom activity. Could not some personal interest in this creature have also played a part in his decision to bring her to the palace? She considered the possibility and then quickly dismissed it, remembering Sesshomaru's general dislike of humans.

The demoness recognized Kirara as a neko youkai, probably one who could change shape and size. She noted the katana and huge, oddly shaped weapon the girl carried on her back. 'How ugly it is. We will have to do something about her clothing, and that horrible thing she's carrying'. Tactfully, the noblewoman refrained from commenting. "I am Hisako, and will be looking after you for the duration of your stay. Come, here are your rooms."

"Sango! You're here!" An ecstatic Rin suddenly appeared and ran to the huntress who swept her up in a warm embrace.

"Rin-chan! You are looking well."

"I'm so happy you came. Sesshomaru-sama said you'd be here...can we go fishing Sango-san? Will we catch something and then cook it to eat? Can we paint pictures? I want to show you my flower paintings--"

"Wait Rin. The huntress has just arrived. She needs to settle before she has time to play games with you. Now you just return to your nursery and I will be there to help you with your lessons."

"Yes, Hisako-sama." Rin obeyed the stately demoness with a reluctant sigh. "You will eat supper with me, won't you Sango-san?"

Sango looked from Hisako to the earnest face of the little girl. "Yes of course, Rin. I'd be happy to. We can catch up then." With that, Rin turned on her heels and ran off to her own rooms at the end of the corridor.

"That child has taken a strong liking to you I see," said Hisako. "This way, huntress."

Sango's jaw dropped as she walked into the chamber that would presumably be her bedroom. The beauty of the furnishings and decor was something she'd never before witnessed. Richly textured carpets, colorful wall tapestries and intricately carved furniture tastefully decorated the large room. A large thick sleeping mat lay several feet from the spotlessly clean hearth. She noticed that it was draped in some sort of billowy, airy covering that promised a most comfortable rest.

"This is where you will sleep. The bath is just beyond this chamber. There is also a sitting room where you may take your meals, if you are not eating with Rin in her nursery or summoned by the master...Are you alright, girl?" Hisako noted the stunned look on Sango's face. Poor thing. She clearly had never experienced such fine surroundings before. "I will leave you to rest and bathe. I took the liberty of selecting some appropriate garments for you to wear."

"Thank you, Hisako-san." Sango walked to one corner of the room where hung a seemingly vast number of silken robes in all colors of the rainbow-- yellow, blue, pink, violet, white, green, and in a number of shades from the palest to the most vivid. "These can't all be for me surely."

"I wanted to give you a choice. If you need assistance with your bath I will send Saki."

"You have been most kind, lady Hisako, but I can attend myself." Just as the demoness prepared to depart, a messenger appeared in the doorway. He bowed to Hisako and glanced briefly at Sango.

"My lady. Lord Sesshomaru wishes to see the human woman. She is to appear in the library within the hour."


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