Chapter Text
“I’m so excited to see your village again!” Shippo chirped, climbing over Kirara’s ears. “You’ll be able to show me everything – all the weapons and poisons and training areas and-”
Kirara rolled her eyes back to meet Sango’s gaze as they shared a moment of gentle amusement at the kit’s antics. It was certainly gratifying, and it helped to put them both a little more at ease. Sango knew that Kirara wasn’t terribly keen on going back to the village so soon, either. She had been there when it had fallen, after all.
“We’ll get there tomorrow,” Sango promised him gently. “There’s somewhere we need to go first.”
It took them until well past noon to find the gravesite again, on the cliff overlooking the ruins of Naraku’s castle. Miroku’s sutra had ensured that it remained untouched by demons or wild animals. Kirara slowly shifted away the rocks that rested on top of the graves and began digging. It didn’t take her long to find the bones, and together they laid them one by one in Sango’s carrying cloth. Kirara could tell some of them apart, but her nose wasn’t as sensitive as Inuyasha’s, and the smaller bones were difficult to differentiate after so long lying mixed together. They would have to be carried together, anyways, back to her village.
The sun was beginning to set by the time they finished, and the village was a full day’s flight away. Sango wasn’t keen on risking a night voyage if she didn’t have to. Instead, Kirara took off in that direction and continued on until Shippo spotted a cave in the cliffs surrounding them. He was more than eager to help collect firewood, and sternly instructed Sango to stay put and arrange their things while he and Kirara did so. Sango smothered her smile at the expression of solemn responsibility that Shippo had adopted. Kirara was grinning as she flew back to the forest with the kit on her back.
Despite all attempts at detached leadership, however, Shippo was even more cuddly than usual as they ate that night. He gnawed on the dried food the villagers had given them while sitting firmly in Sango’s lap, and didn’t complain once as Kirara started grooming him. It certainly felt strange to be away from the others. Sango hoped that they were faring well – that they hadn’t run into any trouble on the way to Kaede’s. Hopefully they would be arriving sometime tomorrow and would have a few days of uninterrupted rest. Or highly interrupted rest – she didn’t know their plans. She glanced up at the sky outside the cave entrance, at the sliver of the moon. They would at least be smart enough to get to Kaede’s village before Inuyasha’s transformation, she was sure.
~*~
“We’re fine, I promise,” Miroku assured Kaede gently as she looked them over with obvious concern. “Just a little battered.”
“He has cracked ribs,” Inuyasha grumbled testily, still not setting his human down from his back.
Miroku shot Inuyasha a betrayed look over his shoulder which the hanyou insistently ignored, while Kaede just sighed at them and waved them into her hut.
~*~
“We’re here!” Shippo shouted excitedly, clambering off Kirara’s back and rushing around the village grounds. “I can’t wait to explore everything! We never really looked around the last time we were here.”
Sango hummed softly in agreement, not really wanting to think about that last time. She had been a different person then, she thought. Different too, from who she had been before Naraku came into her life. She hadn’t wanted to carry on the last time she was here, hadn’t seen any way out of the situation that Naraku had trapped her in. She hadn’t known, then, the support that the others would give her. They had treated her as one of them before they had even known her. It was little surprise, in hindsight, how quickly they had become a family. It felt like much longer than five months that she had known them.
Shippo continued running about, eager to see everything, but it was late and Kirara had flown hard all day. Sango knew that she would have to begin the repairs on Hiraikotsu early the next day, as the process of melting down the demon bones was a long an arduous one. But even then, she would have three full days in the village, assuming that Kirara could make it to Kaede’s within one day after that. It would allow her to perform further maintenance on her other weapons, create some new poisons, and satisfy Shippo’s curiosity with tours and stories. And if she was brave enough, she could clean up the village a little.
She knew that Miroku and Inuyasha had done their best, clearing away the dead demons and laying the people to rest. Most of the debris had also been cleared. However, many of the houses had been broken into by demons during the attacks. Wild animals had raided the food stores and anything left behind was sure to have spoiled. A few weapons and broken pieces of the village’s outer walls lay in the dirt. The few youkai like Kirara who had lived peacefully in the village would have been dumped with the bodies of the attacking demons. It made Sango sad to see her home in such ruins, but it was more than that – if she ever had a hope of repairing this village, of creating another generation of demon slayers, she needed to start here.
She and Shippo followed Kirara to her old house. It was still undeniably strange to be there without her father and Kohaku around, but Shippo’s boisterous enthusiasm helped to fill the empty walls somewhat. It helped her and Kirara see the village how it had been before, and what it might be again.
~*~
“You okay?” Inuyasha asked, crawling into bed beside Miroku.
“I’ll live,” the monk sighed dramatically, scooting closer. “Kaede forced me to eat more of that horrible poultice for the pain.”
“Serves you right,” Inuyasha said, nipping at his mouth.
“And have you tracked down a meal for us?” Miroku asked hopefully.
“It’s on its way, but it should take a little while,” Inuyasha murmured, brushing their lips together once more.
“However shall we occupy ourselves in the meantime?”
“However, indeed?”
“You two,” Kaede snapped, striding through the door and making them both jump. “I have to see to an incident outside of the village – no, all is well, do not trouble yourselves – so you will have to cook. Inuyasha, you may assist Miroku however you feel is necessary, but do not burn down my house.”
“Hey!” Inuyasha said indignantly, pushing himself up from the futon.
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Miroku promised solemnly, earning himself a gentle elbow to the gut.
“Aiko is coming with the cooking pot she borrowed,” Kaede said as she grabbed some supplies from around the hut. “And she and others will be bringing the ingredients by shortly. I trust that ye can figure out the rest.”
“I’m sure we’ll manage,” Miroku smiled warmly, while Inuyasha tried not to look too discouraged.
They watched as she left the hut, and sighed. “So much for that,” Inuyasha grumbled, wrapping his arms carefully around Miroku’s chest from behind.
“Couldn’t do much today, anyway,” the monk shrugged. “It might be best to wait until tomorrow.”
~*~
Sango woke with the dawn and immediately set to work. While she sent Shippo and Kirara off to collect anything salvageable from around the village grounds, she walked over to the storehouse containing the materials for the various weapons. The roof of the house was sealed with a dozen different types of sutras. It was necessary, as they occasionally brought in demon remains that hadn’t yet been exorcized and purified, and they couldn’t risk the youki attracting any other demons. Inside the storehouse was, as Eiji had once described it, well-organized chaos. The shelves were piled high with bones, teeth, hide, hair, sinew, and other such materials loosely grouped together. The ones on the left had been purified, while those on the right had not. Some hadn’t yet been properly cleaned, either, and the smell was ripe to say the least.
Deciding that the other side could wait, Sango dug through the purified bones and selected several. She carried the armful outside, careful to close the door again after herself, and took it over to the forge. After laying them all out on the floor, she lit the fire and selected one of the larger cauldrons to be set upon it. The melting process required the aid of several different concoctions to be set over the next day or so, but most of the time it could continue unsupervised. She would check in on the process from time to time, but in the meanwhile, there was work to be done.
Sango called Shippo and Kirara over, pleased to see that they had collected a large number of weapons and tools. She sent Kirara out to the closest river with another cauldron to fill up with water while she and Shippo sorted the weapons into those needing repairs, and those simply needing to be cleaned. She tried not to think about the previous owners of each weapon, especially those uniquely crafted such as Hiraikotsu. She knew how to fight with most of them, as the training of a slayer demanded, but she would never be as skilled with them as their previous owners had been.
They cleaned and mended weapons until noon, when Shippo began to claim that he was starving. He and Kirara went back to the river to find some fish while Sango searched through the storehouses for some rice that hadn’t been broken into by opportunistic wildlife. There were several stores of rice and barrels of miso left untouched, as well as some dried fish and pickled daikon. She gathered enough for the three of them and met the others back at her house.
“Sango, the village is amazing!” Shippo said as they returned. “Kirara just showed me the cave at the base of the mountain where the slayers kept their secret supply of poisons.”
“One of several, in fact,” Sango smiled. “My people knew how to be prepared.”
“You have to tell me everything!” he demanded, handing over the fish he was carrying. “Everything about this place is fantastic. How long has it even been here?”
“There have been slayers here ever since Midoriko’s time,” Sango explained as she began cleaning the fish. “My people used to wander around the countryside, helping those in need, but after she was trapped in the cave, they decided to settle and build a home. The village has been here ever since.”
“What was it like, growing up as a slayer?” Shippo asked, wide-eyed. “Did you always want to be one?”
Sango smiled, thinking back to mock-training with the other children, copying the adults as best they could…to the first time she held a sword, the feeling of power and responsibility that came with it…to her father giving her Hiraikotsu – a smaller version of her current weapon – and telling her to aim for a nearby tree and try not to take anyone’s head off. She hadn’t always wanted to be a demon slayer, specifically, but she had always been good at it. And it felt right, being able to help those in need. Her mother had told her from a very young age that she always insisted on doing what she believed to be right – loudly and stubbornly if needed – and that whatever she chose, she would be great.
“I saw my people – the skill and bravery with which they fought – and it shaped who I wanted to be,” Sango shrugged. “It was always a part of my life. Even if I was never a slayer, I would have been a blacksmith or poison master or some other role in our lives here. Slaying was simply what I did best.”
“Tell me about the training!” Shippo said excitedly. “And some of the missions you’ve been on! I bet you have the best stories.”
~*~
“She said that she would be gone for most of the day,” Miroku said, throwing more wood on the fire and shuffling over to Inuyasha’s side. “We should be safe for a while.”
“Good,” the hanyou grumbled, immediately capturing Miroku’s mouth.
He pressed the monk back a little, mindful of his still-tender ribs, and deepened the kiss. Miroku hummed in approval and dragged him down on top of himself. Inuyasha’s fingers skimmed along the monk’s chest and abdomen, settling on his hip. Their mouths moved in unison, drawing heat between their bodies. Miroku’s hand snaked up to the top of Inuyasha’s head, deftly massaging his ears, and Inuyasha groaned deeply into his mouth. Gradually, their breaths were growing shorter, their movements firmer and more hurried. Inuyasha had just pressed Miroku to the floor and was beginning to climb on top of him when he suddenly pulled back, his eyes and ears flying to the doorway. Not a moment later, Kaede stormed into the hut with a scowl on her face.
“First they say it’s an evil spirit, then they say it’s a weakened kami!” she shook her head, snatching a bundle of herbs and turning to the pair. “Miroku, can ye help me with this mess? I have no idea what may be required.”
“Of course,” Miroku immediately nodded, trying to disguise the fact that his cheeks were flush and his voice had deepened. He pushed to his feet and smoothed out his robes, and followed Kaede outside. Inuyasha seethed for a moment before he scrambled to his feet and hurried after them.
~*~
Sango poured another coat of liquid bones across the surface of Hiraikotsu and let it cool once more. The weapon had been worn down after too many moths of sharpening and corrosive poisons, so she had to build it up again fully, pausing every so often to hammer it back into shape when the heat made it warp. Once it had about doubled in size, she dumped it in a bucket of water to cool slightly. She held it out to inspect it, making sure that it was thick enough on all sides, and placed in on a metal rack to cool more slowly – she didn’t want it to crack.
She pulled out the ties which held up her sleeves and untucked the bottom of her kimono, stretching out her stiff back before wandering outside. Her slayer’s outfit and armour were drying in the pale winter sun, and Shippo and Kirara were wrestling outside. She smiled and watched them for a moment. She longed to see her village full of vibrant life once more. She wanted to see it full of old slayers comparing battle scars, friendly demons chomping down fish, and young children trying to kill each other with sticks. She had been careful – so, so careful – not to make any plans until Kohaku was back and Naraku was dead, but she couldn’t deny what her heart yearned for. If she survived, and she had the power to do so, she would make sure that she and Kohaku did not remain the only surviving slayers. She would bring her village back to life, and make her people proud.
“Hey, you two!” she called out gently. “Hiraikotsu needs to cool completely before I can work on it anymore, so I’m going to make some more poison powders. Care to join me?”
“Yes!” Shippo said immediately, scrambling to his feet and rushing over to her. “Can you teach me to make some, too? I want to know everything you do about herbs. Granny Kaede knows a lot about healing ones, but there are so many more! What about that one that keeps demons from smelling you? That one would always come in handy!”
Sango shared a grin with Kirara and followed Shippo across the village. He had already seen all the sights the day before, when the bones were melting and all the most urgent tasks had been attended to. She had shown him the various storehouses and weapons rooms, the training fields where slayers had trained with all sorts of weapons, and of course, they had visited Midoriko’s cave once more. Kirara had been gracious enough to keep him busy all morning as well as Sango worked on Hiraikotsu, but the little kit couldn’t seem to get enough. She figured that she could leave him to grind down some dried herbs for various concoctions while she worked on tidying the village some, and she could teach him more techniques in the afternoon. The kit had rekindled her passion in all things regarding slaying, and she was glad to teach him.
He turned out to be a natural, his keen nose helping him to identify the different herbs instantly, and he was able to name more than a few. He was less familiar with the salts and minerals that she used in some of her powders, but that was to be expected. She showed each to him in turn, and taught him how each could be used in different concoctions. Together they stripped some roots for a dried powder that could help stave off infection, and ground up various poisonous nuts and berries for an insect-repellent. When Sango left to attend to other chores around the village, Shippo was peeling and stemming the dried leaves off a large branch with intense concentration. She smiled and slipped out the door, leaving him to it. He would be kept busy until noon at least, and she had lots to attend to.
Sango glanced over at her house, where she knew the bones of Eiji, Yasuo, and her father were resting. She needed to perform proper funeral rites on them soon – she knew that she was avoiding it. But it was simply too painful. She knew that none of the others in the village had been cremated as they should have been, and Miroku and Inuyasha hadn’t known who any of them were when they had buried them. One day, she would be able to lay them all to rest properly, but she didn’t have the time and there was no priest here, and she couldn’t. Not yet. She couldn’t bear to dig their bodies up again and face them all alone.
Instead, she began making her way through each of the houses, determining what could be salvaged and what needed to be burned. She found many bowls of rotten fruit, clothes eaten by moths and rodents, and pests having invaded the dark corners. There were some items that she could bring to Kaede’s to repay some of the kindness she had shown them, and others that they might be able to sell to refill their travel funds. There was much more that she would lock away in one of the storehouses, safe until the slayers of the future would have need of them.
Eventually, she figured that it was time to continue working on Hiraikotsu, and she called the others with a whistle. Back inside the forge, Sango grabbed one of the steel files from the wall of the forge and began shaping it down to size. Kirara was napping in the corner while Shippo watched with rapt attention. He had been fascinated with all she had shown him of the village over the past two days, and had begged to see how she maintained her weapons.
“It’s important to keep everything nice and sharp,” she said, pushing the file down the length of Hiraikotsu’s edge. “But you see how much is coming off? You can only sand it down so much before you have to build it up again or get a new weapon.”
“And that’s what happened with Hiraikotsu?” Shippo asked. “You took off too much?”
“That acidic scorpion venom certainly didn’t help. And when Totosai repaired it after fighting Kaijinbo, he had to do so without any other demon bones added as well. I’ve also never used it so often as I do now.”
“We certainly get ourselves into a lot of battles,” Shippo shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s just the influence of the Jewel.”
Sango pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. She had often suspected that their propensity for running into trouble was more than just the shards. Her companions had proved remarkably adept at sniffing out danger wherever they went. Though, she supposed, Naraku had a large hand in their misfortunes as well. And it helped that they were looking for the Jewel shards – most demons weren’t willing to hand them over willingly.
“Pass me that whetstone over there,” she said instead, pointing to a row on the wall. “I’m going to show you how to sand this down so it’s smooth and sharp.”
It took a long time to bring the edge of Hiraikotsu to a sharp point, and there was a pile of bone dust at her feet by the end of it. At Shippo’s insistence, she sharpened the point of his spinning top as well and, because they might as well, filed down Kirara’s claws, which had been growing out a fair amount.
“I knew there would be consequences for you riding on our shoulders all the time,” Sango chided gently and tapped a finger on Kirara’s nose. The twin-tail looked deeply offended and chirped in response.
“What do you think, Sango?” Shippo asked, leaning against her leg. “Are we done for the day?”
She hummed thoughtfully and examined Hiraikotsu. “It’s not as good as my father’s handiwork, but I have to admit it’d not bad. I’d say we’ve done enough for today. We can finish up whatever else needs to be done tomorrow. We’re not due back until the day after that.”
~*~
“What a day,” Kaede sighed, sitting herself down stiffly in front of the fire. “We were fortunate that no one was injured. I have never before met a spirit so intent on throwing everything in its path.”
“Indeed,” Miroku said flatly, setting some water to boil for tea.
“I’d say we should turn in early for the night,” the old miko continued, rubbing the back of her neck.
Inuyasha glared at the floor, trying hard not to shift around in frustration. So much for their plans. They couldn’t exactly do anything with Kaede in the hut. He glanced outside, at the cold evening air and the wind which had picked up upon their return. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t drag Miroku out into the freezing night and have his way with him. They had both agreed that they wanted their first time to be special, and frostbite was not part of the equation. He sighed deeply and slumped down near the fire, soundly ignoring the knowing smile that Miroku was sending after him.
~*~
Sango knelt in front of the graves and gently brushed her fingers along the incense she had placed there. It was too late in the winter for flowers, but she had wanted to do something. Five months. How could they ever forgive her for staying away for so long? And leaving them again, with no idea when she would return once more… She was almost tempted to try and perform as much as she could this last day in the village, just in case she never came back. But they didn’t deserve a rushed, improper burial, either. She sighed and began to pray.
Her father had always told her to be strong, to make her people proud. She knew that she had failed him. He had told her to keep an eye on her little brother, too. Ever since she had first started training, and discovered the thrill of battle and the power which she wielded, he had asked her if this life had been what she had wanted. She had always answered ‘yes.’ He had told her once, after one of her first missions when their team was collapsed in a tavern, dirty and exhausted, that she would have to carry on the traditions of her people. She hadn’t realized then the burden that she would have to carry.
From the other end of the graves, upwind of the incense where she sat with Shippo, Kirara suddenly growled. She turned so that she faced the entrance of the fortress walls, the section that had been pushed aside in the demon attack, where two young girls crouched. Each had a large rock in their hands, and they immediately threw them at Sango. She leapt back, easily avoiding the blows – but Hiraikotsu was still in the forge where she’d left it yesterday, still needing to be oiled. At least her sword was by her side. As more rocks flew towards her, Kirara launched herself at the girls with a roar, transforming as she did so. The smaller of the girls leapt back but she caught the older and pinned her to the ground. The younger girl immediately spun around with a startled gasp, watching in obvious horror as Kirara bared her fangs.
“Stop! Please!” the younger girl shouted, running back towards Kirara and the other. “Don’t hurt her! Let her go!”
“Kirara!” Sango called, and Kirara instantly stepped back.
The younger girl skidded to a stop on her knees beside the older, and held on to her arm with an iron grip. They were both pale, and the older one’s breath was coming in ragged gasps. Kirara growled at them once more and backed away until she stood protectively in front of Shippo.
Sango frowned and walked closer to the girls. “Who are you and what do you want here?”
The younger girl stared at her, tight-lipped, while the older slowly pushed herself to her feet. No soon had she made it upright than her face grew impossibly paler and she crumpled to the ground.
“Serina!” the younger girl shouted, diving for her.
“What’s wrong?” Sango asked sharply.
“We haven’t had food or water for three days,” the younger girl said, clutching Serina’s kimono with both hands.
Sango watched them both and sighed. She couldn’t leave these two to starve, and they had more than enough food to share. Sango knelt down in front of the fallen girl, ignoring how the younger one glared at her, and turned her onto her back to check her over. Her cheeks were hollow and her skin was clammy with sweat. Both she and the other girl wore thin kimonos covered with rips and dirt. Curiously, both also had sarashi bandages wrapped around their hands up to their wrists and over their feet, while the older also wore tekkou. Sango could also see the hint of some kind of clothing under their kimonos, though she couldn’t tell what from this vantage – all she knew was that it didn’t look like regular underclothes.
The older girl’s eyes blinked open and she sat up slowly, eyeing Sango warily. Sango also didn’t fail to notice how she shifted ever so slightly in front of the younger girl, as though trying to protect her. These girls had seen something – she recognized the hollow look in their eyes. But, she supposed that she would need to get some food into them before anything else.
“Come on,” she said, rising. “Let’s go inside.”
~*~
“You’re sure she’s gone?” Miroku asked, stripping off his robes.
“She’s at the far end of the village talking to some of the other old farts,” Inuyasha said, already pulling the sheathed Tessaiga from his hip and laying it down beside them. “That has to keep her busy for a while.”
Miroku didn’t bother replying with words, but instead slammed his mouth into Inuyasha’s and crushed the length of their bodies together. He ran his hands up and down Inuyasha’s back while Inuyasha’s fingers curled in Miroku’s hair as they devoured each other’s mouths. He snaked his hands into the red robes, brushing his fingers down the warm skin, earning a low moan as Inuyasha’s hips jerked forward. One hand dropped to the hanyou’s ass, pushing their hips closer together, while the other started playing with his ears again. Not to be outdone, Inuyasha began licking his way down Miroku’s chest. They were pressing into each other, the heat rising around them, and Miroku’s hand reached down, about to grasp-
“Shit!” Inuyasha hissed and pulled back, his eyes snapping to the doorway. He listened intently for a moment and then pushed himself back, grabbing his robes from the floor and shrugging them on haphazardly. “A horse and cart crashed on the other side of the village. It sounds like someone’s trapped.” He snatched Tessaiga and glanced at Miroku for a long moment, deep regret in his eyes. “Fuck!” he shouted, and then ran outside.
~*~
Sango watched in mild horror as the girls absolutely demolished their food at a rate that put even Shippo to shame – not that the kit hadn’t made a sizeable dent in his own bowl of soup. He was staring at the girls with wide eyes, safely on the opposite side of the fire next to Sango and Kirara. The young girl looked at the older and mumbled something indecipherable with her mouth full, and the older nodded enthusiastically.
“There’s plenty more,” Sango said amusedly. “Would you like another bowl?”
“Yes, please!” both girls said immediately before they paused and shared an uncomfortable glance. The older placed her bowl to the side and bowed deeply.
“Pardon my manners. I am the elder, Serina.”
“And I’m her sister Suzuna!” the younger said with a smile, before her sister pushed her head down so that she was bowing as well. Suzuna grinned up at Sango from under Serina’s hand.
“I am Sango, and this is Kirara and Shippo,” she said, gesturing to each in turn.
Suzuna whacked Serina’s arm lightly and whispered “I told you there would be demons here!”
Sango raised her brows. “You sought out this place on purpose then, did you?”
“Yes,” Serina said, straightening but keeping her gaze down. “We recently set out from our home, following rumours of the demon slayers’ hidden village.”
Well, that was certainly interesting. “You attacked me despite knowing that I’m a slayer?”
“We just wanted to test your skills,” Suzuna grinned. “You really are pretty good!”
Serina flashed Sango a worried look and dragged her sister down into another bow. “Please, sama, will you take us on as your apprentices?”
“Apprentices?” Sango echoed in confusion.
“Please!” Suzuna said loudly. “We’ll work really hard!”
Sango was already shaking her head. “I can’t. I’m leaving here tomorrow.”
“Oh, c’mon! Please!” Suzuna wailed, reaching over to grasp at Sango’s hands.
“I said, no!” She started to get up, and Suzuna sprang to her feet, grabbing for her. Sango snapped her palm against the girl’s chest, stopping her short. Behind her, Serina looked terrified.
“Please,” the older girl whispered. “We cannot return to our village until you take us in as your pupils and train us in the art of demon slaying!”
Sango glanced between the two of them, from Serina’s dejected look to Suzuna’s raw desperation, and sighed. “I suppose I should hear you out,” she said, sitting back down. “You seem to have your reasons.”
“We do,” Serina said seriously. “My sister and I live in a small farming village high in the mountains. We wanted to expand our land so we began to clear the neighbouring forest, which belonged to our local deity. That was when the demons began attacking us.”
“Lots of them!” Suzuna added. “And all different kinds!”
“Many of our people have been slaughtered,” Serina continued. “Most of the able-bodied people have moved to another village, but the sick and elderly cannot make the journey, and those with very young children fear being attacked as they leave. Our father was the headman, so we stayed, but my sister and I watched our people spending every waking moment living in terror.”
“The deity’s forest must have acted as a barrier for you,” Sango said. “That is not something easily rebuilt.”
“That is why we came to you,” Serina said. “We heard of a village of demon slayers and thought you might be able to help us.”
Sango sighed and glanced outside. “As you can see, there are no slayers left in this place.”
“There’s you,” Serina said softly.
Sango shook her head. “I could go back to your village with you, perhaps. I might be able to help.”
“Our village has no money for payment,” Serina said. “We came only to learn. We didn’t come here with any intention of hiring a slayer.”
“Besides, our village is so far away,” Suzina added dramatically. “You have no idea how long it took to walk here.”
“Driving the demons off once or twice would make no difference, regardless. They keep on returning!” Serina bowed deeply once more. “Please, teach us to defend ourselves! I swear, we will train hard for our people. We know that we must defend them.”
She pulled her sister down beside her, and Suzuna squeaked “I’ll do my best!”
Sango watched them for a moment, considering. She knew that she had to leave tomorrow if she was to return on time, and there were still a number of things to attend to around the village… But these girls needed her help. Serina looked to be only a year or two younger than herself, and Suzuna must be around Kohaku’s age. Their people were depending on them. Their people had been slaughtered by demons. She had to help them.
She knew that Inuyasha and Miroku would come help her if she asked. She could fly back on Kirara with or without the girls and return to her village for another few days. They could follow the girls to their home and clear away as many demons as possible, and maybe Miroku could build some barriers to keep out any other. However, something made her pause. These girls wanted her help. She had a chance to pass on her people’s techniques.
“You must understand, the art of demon slaying isn’t something you can learn overnight,” she found herself saying. “I can teach you how to deter lesser demons. If you require more than that, then I can bring you to my companions tomorrow.”
“Thank you!” both girls exclaimed, bowing deeply.
“Now, eat up,” Sango instructed, gesturing at the pot of soup which remained. “We’re going to have a long day of training ahead of us.”
Serina grabbed Suzuna’s bowl and filled it first before taking another serving for herself. As they polished off a second (and in Suzuna’s case, third) helping, Shippo shuffled over to sit beside them.
“So you two walked all the way here on your own?” he asked. “Weren’t you afraid the demons would get you?”
“What other choice did we have?” Suzuna shrugged with her mouth full. “We knew we had to come.”
“We were very fortunate,” Serina said more solemnly. “We know of others who met with much worse fate than we did.”
“Well, Sango’s the best!” Shippo said confidently. “I’ve seen her take on huge demons before! And Kirara’s an amazing fighter, too! She taught me how to hunt, you know.”
“Ooh,” Suzuna said, glancing at Serina, who firmly shook her head.
“Come on, everyone,” Sango said once they had all finished eating. “We’re going to start.”
She led them to the storehouse with all the demon parts and had the girls wait outside while she selected what they would need. She held them out of sight as she firmly locked the door again and turned back to the girls, smiling.
“These are the weapons you’ll use to drive away demons,” Sango said, holding out two iron masks, two fans, and a small pouch of deep purple-grey powder. The girls exchanged a confused and disappointed look.
“Um…” Suzuna said, picking at one of the fans. “Not to be rude, but we were expecting something a little more…pointy?”
Sango smiled gently. “Anything else will take far more than an afternoon to learn. Don’t worry – I’ll show you how effective this is on its own.”
Kirara could have flown them down the mountain, but Sango worried that she would be pushed to carry all three humans and Shippo back to Kaede’s tomorrow. Instead, she remembered her old mentors, and had the girls carry their own supplies as they followed her down the mountain path. Shippo also chatted with Suzuna while perched on her shoulder, while Serina was charged with carrying Kirara, who promptly fell asleep in her arms.
At the base of the mountain, Sango followed Kirara’s nose to a nest of rat demons. They settled upwind amidst the long, tall grass of the field. Sango instructed the girls on how to fit the masks over their faces. They crept up towards the small burrow under the twisting roots of a tree, and Kirara nodded. Sango had the girls gather a few rocks to make a pile and then poured out the powder mixture over top, and lit it.
“Now fan it towards the burrow!” Sango instructed, leaning back to allow the sisters access to the pile. “Fan hard, but not enough to put out the flames.”
“What is this stuff?” Suzuna asked, fanning vigorously and watching as the smoke began to spread towards the burrow.
“A powdered mixture of herbs and medicines which demons detest,” Sango explained. “It will drive them from any area, and they will be unlikely to return for quite some time.”
Beside her, Kirara scrunched up her nose in disgust, picked up Shippo by the scruff and promptly carried him away.
“But can we use this to slay demons?” Suzuna asked, wincing as her eyes watered from the smoke.
“You can use it to protect the village,” Sango answered firmly.
The nest of rat demons were quickly leaving their burrow, while birds, squirrels, and deer moved away from the smell and ran deeper into the forest.
“This smoke is incredible!” Serina breathed, pausing to watch them all.
“Can we really ward off all the demons with just this stuff?” Suzuna asked skeptically.
“Not all of them,” Sango sighed. “This only works on lesser demons. Anything more powerful might not be deterred. You’re going to have to describe every demon that you’ve seen attacking your village and I can tell you whether or not they will need something else to drive them away.”
She put out the flames and began gathering everything up. The sisters looked unconvinced.
“Teacher…” Suzuna asked hesitantly as they began walking back. “Isn’t there something more…exciting that you could teach us? You know, some way to fight back instead of just trying to keep the demons away?”
“Learning techniques without fully understanding them first can be dangerous,” Sango said. “Besides, you two have had a long day, already. Tomorrow, I’ll take you out again and show you which herbs to collect for the powder. There may be some other mixtures that I could teach you for specific demons, but we can’t stay too long.”
Kirara could fly them through the night if she had to, she figured. Miroku and Inuyasha wouldn’t be too worried if she was late by only one day, and she would meet them on the way if they did decide to come after her. And though she wouldn’t have a chance to perform the funeral rites, she hoped that her people would forgive her. She was carrying on their mission, after all.
~*~
“Finally,” Inuyasha breathed, recapturing Miroku’s lips. “I swear, if one more person decides to get into trouble…”
Miroku hummed is agreement, devouring his partner’s mouth for a few more moments before he pulled back, breathing slightly harder than before. “The others should be back soon.”
“Don’t worry,” Inuyasha grinned, chasing after him. “I’ll hear them coming.”
Miroku frowned and shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. They were supposed to be back today.”
“Five days can mean either today or tomorrow,” Inuyasha assured. “And it’s the first time Sango’s been back to her village – I’m sure she has lots to do. If they’re not back by tomorrow evening, then we can start to worry.”
Miroku sighed. “I suppose she can take care of herself.”
“Exactly,” Inuyasha pressed. “Now, let me take care of you.”
They pressed against each other once more, finding an easy rhythm. Then Miroku made a small noise of distress and pulled back again. “Inuyasha, something’s wrong.”
“What is it?” Inuyasha asked, immediately looking concerned.
“I can’t stop seeing their faces!” Miroku said, his frown deepening. “I can’t…I can’t explain it, but I think they’re in trouble.”
~*~
Sango pulled Shippo closer to her chest and tried to fall asleep. Kirara was purring loudly against her stomach, while she could hear the quiet breathing of the sisters coming from the other side of the room. They must be exhausted after their journey, she reasoned. She hoped that she would be able to help them. The various demons that they’d described were mostly weaker varieties, though a few wouldn’t be deterred by just the powder she had shown them. She could send them home with a few different poisons if their village had any archers or anything similar. She wouldn’t have to train the girls on any of the slayers’ weapons if they could just dip the arrowheads in poison, and she was sure that they could learn how to shoot from anyone. There might not be a need for her to drag Inuyasha and Miroku into this as well.
She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, Kirara was growling by the doorway, and the girls were gone. She swore and grabbed Hiraikotsu, shedding her travel clothes as she followed Kirara through the village. The door of the storehouse was wide open, the lock broken. She could see Serina shifting by the doorway, piling a makeshift rack on her back high with demon hides and bones and several weapons. Suzuna was moving about deeper inside. The girls nodded to each other and made for the door, where Serina immediately skidded to a halt.
“What are you two up to?” Sango asked, low and dangerous. “I want the truth. You’re no ordinary village girls.”
Suzuna stepped out from behind her sister, holding a kama in her hand. It looked as though she knew how to use it. She threw it at Sango, who leapt to the side and batted the blade away with Hiraikotsu. Suzuna immediately pulled a shuriken from inside her robes and threw the hidden blade at Sango as well, followed by several more. The sisters used the distraction to run past her, moving at incredibly speed despite their heavy load.
“Those moves,” Sango said, calling out after them. “You’ve had training!”
The sisters stopped at the fortress entrance, watched her and Kirara carefully.
“Not slayer training,” Suzuna said with a smile. “My sister and I come from a village of ninja.”
“You’re kunoichi,” Sango breathed.
“And we were fine until our father ordered our clan to slay a demon,” Suzuna said, her smile turning bitter. “We could take down the one, but others came seeking revenge! Our people don’t have the training to face so many, and nearly everyone was killed.”
“Our father was one of the ones who fell in the initial attack,” Serina said quietly. “He died in our arms. With his final breath, he told us that we needed to be strong. That’s why we must restore our village to its former glory! That’s why we must be able to defend our people!”
Suzuna nodded at Serina, face grim. Sango was struck. So similar. She could see herself in these girls so much it hurt.
“Wait,” she said, taking a step forward.
Serina pulled an egg from her robes, and Sango immediately shut her eyes and pulled her mask over her face. The metsubushi crashed to the ground in front of her, the egg’s shell splitting open to release the mixture of ash, ground pepper, and broken glass into the air. She heard Kirara hiss and dart away from behind her. Both of them were immobilized for a long moment – too long. Sure enough, when Sango dared open her eyes, the girls were gone. Sango swore and ran back into the storehouse, and her heart sank. Pieces were missing from shelves on both sides – too many not to draw attention.
“Kirara!” Sango shouted, running back out again. “They took the unpurified bones!”
Kirara growled and immediately ran to her side. Sango caught sight of Shippo scurrying after her.
“Stay back!” Sango warned. “You need to stay inside. I don’t know if any demons will be drawn here as well.”
She vaulted onto Kirara’s back and the twin-tail took off. They were already catching up to the girls when Sango saw that Shippo had snagged onto one of Kirara’s tails. There was no time to do anything but pull him onto her back and keep going. She would yell at him later. The girls had slowed, Serina leaning against the rocky cliff and gasping for breath while Suzuna urged her onwards. They both froze when they saw Kirara, and took off running once more. They made it into the forest before Kirara landed in front of them, growling fiercely.
“Both of you, get on Kirara now!” Sango shouted at them. “We need to get back to the village!”
Suzuna lifted her kama. “We’re not giving these back! We need them!”
Sango growled. “Discard those at once! Hundreds of demons are coming in search the youki those materials are exuding. Hurry!”
The sisters exchanged a worried glance, clearly torn for what to do. Sango leapt off Kirara and stalked towards them, ready to throw them onto the twin-tail if need be. But then Kirara’s head snapped up to look at the sky, and she growled deep in her throat. Sango could sense it, too. The night sky was growing even darker. She could hear their voices growing, as the demons shifted amongst the clouds.
“Get on Kirara!” Sango shouted, shoving Suzuna roughly over to her. “I have to fight these off. Make your escape the first chance you get!”
“Serina, now is our chance!” Suzuna shouted, grabbing her sister’s arm. “We can show father our courage!”
Serina looked between Sango and the demons, hesitating.
“You have nothing to prove!” Sango snapped. “I promise, I will help you find a way to protect your people, but right now you have to leave or you’ll be killed!” Neither of them moved. “Do you think this is what your father wanted? To have you both die here tonight?”
Suzuna opened her mouth, clearly about to argue, when Serina lifted her bodily and shoved her onto Kirara’s back, following close behind. She tore the racks from both of their shoulders and threw them away as far as she could, pausing only to pull some of the weapons free.
“What are you doing?” Suzuna cried out, but Serina ignored her.
Sango turned to meet the first of the demons with Hiraikotsu. She cut through the first wave and moved slowly back towards the others. Kirara also leapt up to meet some of the oncoming horde, though she was careful not to place any of the girls in danger. Her attack gave Sango the distraction she needed to cut a path back towards the mountain. Kirara leapt back in the direction of the village but then Shippo’s warning alerted her to the next wave flying at her. There were too many for her to risk flying, and Sango knew that she couldn’t keep her covered on all sides. They shared a glance and silently agreed on the plan changing, and Sango began to fight her way back to Kirara’s side. It would slow her down tremendously to have all four of them riding her, but it was the only way that Sango would be able to protect them.
An opportunistic worm demon made it past Hiraikotsu, and as Kirara twisted around to meet it with her jaws, Serina lifted a spear and threw it into the demon’s eye. Suzuna instantly stood and braced herself on her sister’s shoulder with one hand while she slashed the demon’s throat with her kama.
“Our father wanted us to be strong,” Serina told Sango as she reached them. “That means we must help.”
Another wave arrived and Sango was forced to meet them with Hiraikotsu. More and more were arriving all the time, while those who couldn’t fly were approaching through the trees. They had swarmed! Kirara’s jaws snapped at the demons, and Shippo kept a few away with his foxfire as well. But a spider demon slipped past their defenses and snagged Suzuna’s kimono with its mandibles. She screamed in terror before her training kicked in, and slashed at its legs with her kama. The demon dropped her with a roar but she landed on the other side of Kirara. Serina cried out but Kirara had already leapt for the girl and pulled her onto her back. Serina jabbed her spear at the approaching demons, driving them back. Sango continued to cover Kirara’s side but they were being overwhelmed. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold out.
A chattering rose amongst the demons and they darted into the trees as a large dark shape blocked out the stars. Sango’s heart sank. What new monster was this? She caught Hiraikotsu and reached for her sword, wondering just how much trouble they were in.
And that’s when Hachi crashed through the trees with a yell. Inuyasha leapt off his back and hurled the Wind Scar at the demons which were still nearby. Miroku used the cover to run to Sango’s side, cutting through a few demons as he did so, and they shared a relieved smile.
“You alright?” he asked, wielding his staff. Sango stared at the crushed head for a moment before turning back to the fight.
“We’re all still alive,” she said grimly.
Inuyasha leapt over to them, the blade of Tessaiga still glowing amber. “Sango, what’ve you done?” he grinned. “It’s not like you to be pushed around by a couple of demons.”
“This evening didn’t exactly go to plan,” she admitted wryly.
Hachi had rushed over to hide beside Kirara, and the demons were gathering above them once more. Inuyasha pulled another Wind Scar to his mind and threw it at them while Sango and Miroku protected Kirara on either side. He frowned, though, as even more kept coming.
“What the hell did you do to get these so pissed?” he asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Sango sighed. “It’s a bit of a story.”
“I’ll take over from here,” Miroku said, and Inuyasha nodded and swapped places with him. He waited until the rest of the demons had reformed the swarm before opening the wind tunnel. Sango saw Serina and Suzuna watching with wide eyes as he drew the rest of the demons in. When the vortex faded the others waited, listening for a moment. A few more demons moved around the trees, but Inuyasha chased them down. Sango turned to the sisters.
“We’re going back to my village now,” she said calmly, and they nodded silently.
Though Kirara walked back to the village, the sisters remained on her back the whole way. Shippo had taken up residence on Miroku’s shoulder.
“I thought we might be in a situation there for a moment,” Sango admitted softly, eyeing the pair. “What made you decide to come a day early?”
Inuyasha shrugged. “Miroku had a feeling you’d find yourself some trouble one way or another, so we thought we might as well meet you here. It’s a good thing we did, too!”
Sango frowned. “Miroku?”
“Call it a premonition, if you will,” he sighed and leaned in close to her, his eyes darting to Inuyasha. “Your imminent death was very inconvenient,” he grumbled.
Sango looked between them and a smile spread across her face. “I apologize profusely.”
As they emerged from the forest and began up the mountain path, they were all bathed in starlight, and Sango’s gaze flew to her companions. Inuyasha looked ruffled but fine, but his robes were faded in patches as though they’d been eaten away. The side of Miroku’s face was painted with purples and blues.
“Oh, you two. What have you done?” she muttered as she grabbed Miroku’s jaw and twisted his head from side to side so that she could examine the bruises.
“It’s nothing,” Miroku smiled tiredly. “We just both got knocked unconscious a couple times by a cannibalistic sage who tried to disintegrate our bodies so that he could create the Fruit of Longevity.”
Sango’s brows shot up. “Oh, is that all?”
Inuyasha shot her a wry grin that was pinched at the edges. “Seems like you’re not the only one who has a knack for trouble.”
Sango tutted and shook her head. “I can’t leave you two alone for even a few days, can I?”
Miroku smiled. “Apparently not.”
~*~
“Now, I want you two to listen to me very carefully,” Sango said, as both Serina and Suzuna sat across from her. Miroku and Inuyasha leaned against the wall to the side, Shippo, Kirara, and Hachi beside them. “I’ve spoken with my companions, and they’ve all agreed that you can stay here for a few more days while I train you some more. If you want us to come to your village with you after that, then we will – no payment required. However, you must promise to do as I say until then.”
“Of course,” Serina said, bowing low. “Thank you very much. We are truly sorry for what we did.”
“We didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Suzuna added, looking contrite. “We just wanted to be strong like you – like our father told us.”
Sango sighed. “I never met your father, but I’m sure that he wouldn’t have wanted you to put yourselves in danger. There isn’t a father in the world who doesn’t wish for his daughter’s happiness, and I’m sure yours was no different. It’s a noble goal to try to rebuilt your village, but do not place that above your own health. I’m sure that your father wanted you to be safe and happy.”
As the girls walked quietly to the other room to sleep, Miroku watched Sango carefully. She caught his eye and raised her brows in silent question.
“Wise words,” he said, shrugging gently.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to stay here a few more days after they’re gone,” she said softly, as Inuyasha walked over as well. “Or if we go to their village, I would like to come back here. There are some items that I want to bring back to Kaede’s, and I want to clear the village properly in case I don’t make it back for another few months.” She looked up at them, eyes shining. “And I want to lay my people to rest properly. I know it will take some time, but-”
Inuyasha cut her off gently. “We have time. As much as you need.”
They sat down on either side of her while Kirara curled up on her lap.
“It sounds like you had quite the time,” Miroku said. “Did you manage to repair Hiraikotsu in between corrupting young girls and being eaten by demons?”
Sango rolled her eyes. “Yes I did, thank you very much.”
“Excellent,” Miroku grinned, and held up his staff. “Feel like doing it all over again?”
“How the hell did you manage that?” Sango asked in exasperation, snatching the weapon and examining the crumpled head.
“Whacked that cannibalistic sage after he turned to stone.”
Sango stared at him. “Okay, you’re gonna have to actually explain that one.”
“We can swap stories in the morning,” Inuyasha said, yawning. “I’m beat.”
“What about you, then?” Sango asked him. “Did you manage to break Tessaiga again?”
“Not the sword, just the sheath,” he shrugged. “Don’t worry, I can fix it myself once we’re back at Kaede’s. Myoga showed me a trick a while back.”
“After all that, did you two at least manage to rest a little?” Sango asked pointedly.
The two shared a long look and shrugged simultaneously. “We napped for a couple days,” Miroku said lightly.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Yeah, mostly because of your cracked ribs.”
Sango’s head snapped around to glare at Miroku. “Your what?”
Miroku shook his head dramatically. “Everyone’s making a fuss.”
“Point is,” Inuyasha said forcefully, cutting off any further discussion. “I’m fine with taking it easy for another couple of days. We told Kaede not to expect us back on any particular day, so there’s no rush on our end. You just let us know what you need.”
“Thanks,” Sango smiled. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Yeah,” Miroku said softly, looking over their group. “We’re glad to be back.”