Labyrinth

 

Chapter 7:  Definitely No Pixie Dust

 

            Kagome was starting to enjoy herself.  Since their impromptu party the night before things had definitely been looking up.  Even the scenery had improved, and Kagome appreciated it.  She had tried to ask Miroku about the sudden change, but he had answered that he had never been this far into the Labyrinth and refused to say anything else.  He’d been somewhat sullen and withdrawn since last night, and Kagome didn’t feel it was her place to push him.  Besides, she was far too preoccupied with her surroundings to take the time.

This place was like nothing else Kagome had seen since her arrival in the field surrounding the Labyrinth.  The Labyrinth was full of bogs and walls, emptiness and clutter, darkness and oppressive heat.  But this place… it was beautiful.

The every present darkness had given way to a gentle sunlight which filtered through the trees in golden streams.  The trees themselves were leafy and green, not huddled together, but pleasantly spaced.  And the path through the forest was now clear and well-trodden.  Instead of the dense, thorny undergrowth they had encountered on the outskirts of the forest they now passed by patches of colorful flowers.  Kagome had even seen a stream, and the soothing trickle could still be heard.  Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of what looked like butterflies flitting through the trees.

“Oh, look!” Kagome stopped as one of the colorful creatures landed on a tall flowering plant near her.  Stooping down to get a closer looked she realized that it was not a butterfly at all. “It’s beautiful.” The creature was a tiny fairy.  Its skin faded from deep to light green and its ears were elegantly pointed.  This one had the appearance of a woman with morning glory butterfly wings.  As she watched it turned to look at her, blinking its enormous eyes and brushing back its long hair prettily.  Kagome, in wonder, reached a hand slowly toward it.

“Kagome-” Miroku began in warning, but Kagome’s hand had already reached the fairy.  An instant later she let out a sharp yelp and jerked back in surprise.

“It bit me!” indignant, she stood fully upright and cradled the offended digit.  The fairy’s whole body shook as it doubled over in silent laughter.  Kagome glared at it.

Miroku barely contained a long-suffering sigh as he approached her and took her by the shoulders to turn her away, “of course.  It is a fairy.  What did you expect?”

“Elegance, sweetness, and pixie dust.” She grumbled, shooting a last angry look over her shoulder at the still laughing fairy.

When she turned back, Miroku was looking at her with a bemused expression, “In what world?”

“Oh, never mind.” Kagome sighted.  They seemed to run into this problem quite often.  How long would it be before she remembered that nothing here ever resembled her expectations?

“Let’s go.” Miroku gently guided her away, for once keeping his hands out of trouble.  “We don’t want to run into any more of them.”

Kagome whole-heartedly agreed, though she wasn’t certain the little creatures were quite as large a concern as Miroku’s tone would seem to imply.  Still, she was now more than willing to take his word for it.

As it turned out she should have been more concerned than she knew.  While Miroku had told the truth when he had stated that he had never come this deeply into the forest, he had heard about it.  And, his life in the Labyrinth had given him a sort of sixth sense anyway – any place this beautiful had to be a trap.  In his mind the fact that this was the most benign and pleasant place he had ever been meant that it must also be the most deadly.  And there was always the fact that his holy powers were raging inside him like a caged tiger. 

Something was very wrong – he just didn’t know what.

Unobtrusively he stepped a little closer to Kagome.  Whatever happened, he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight.  He felt a momentary twinge of guilt at the hypocrisy of this.  But what he had to do and what he wanted to do were not always the same thing.  And right now he wanted to protect Kagome, and since it had no bearing on what he would later have to do… all else aside at this moment his loyalty was to her.  He would not allow the Labyrinth to destroy her.

“Miroku?”

Preoccupied as he was with his own thoughts he nearly toppled over her when she abruptly stopped before him.

“What is that?”

He looked up to see a low fog creeping over the ground toward them. As if of its own volition his hand found hers and grasped it tightly.  There was something very, very wrong here.  He could feel his holy powers flare up within him.

“Kagome – we have to-”

But it was too late.  The fog, which at first had crept along the ground, had surrounded them, completely engulfing them.  Miroku was startled to find that he was no longer holding Kagome’s hand, and she was – in fact – moving away from him.  Not that she appeared to be walking, nor did he, but the distance between them was most definitely increasing.  His mind swirled in panic as he stretched an arm toward her.

 

***

 

 “Kagome!” Miroku was reaching toward her, calling her name in concern.  And then he was gone, swallowed up in the ever thickening fog.  Kagome fought back a nearly overwhelming surge of panic.  He couldn’t leave her here all alone!

The sound of a twig snapping shook her from her panic induced paralysis and she started in the direction she had last seen Miroku.  Why couldn’t she hear him anymore?

“Miroku!” she cried, not caring who, or what, else might hear her.  She had to find him.  “Miroku!”  her pace increased until she was literally running, and still she found no sign of her companion.  “Where are you!?”

She knew this was pointless, she was just going to get lost running around like this.  But she had to find him, because she couldn’t do this alone.  She just couldn’t, because it wasn’t fair - because it was unreasonable to expect her to find her own way through this death trap - because she was scared, darn it!  And that should count for something!  

“Who you looking for sis?” It was Souta’s voice, and she jerked her head to her left to find him.  There he was, sitting on their couch, TV remote in hand and staring at her with the most curious expression.

On the couch?

Somewhere in the back of her mind that didn’t seem quite right, she was… somewhere else… wasn’t she?  But when she turned to look in the direction from which she had come she saw only their living room wall.

“Hello?” the sound of his voice drew her attention back to him, “Earth to Kag!”.

Shaking her head she shrugged back her uncertainty and moved toward him.  As she walked around the couch to sit beside Souta the feeling of disparity faded and she relaxed next to him.

“What makes you think I was looking for someone?” she asked disinterested, already focusing her attention on the TV.

Souta shrugged and returned his attention to the flickering commercials as well, “I don’t know, you just looked kinda lost for a second there.  Like you didn’t expect to see me.”

Kagome snorted a laugh, “that’s ridiculous.  Now shut up and let’s watch something good.”

 

***

 

Miroku wandered through the thick forest.  He was looking for someone, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember who… for some reason that didn’t bother him as much as he thought it should have.  And so Miroku kept walking, his pace calm and sedate.  Whoever he was looking for would probably find him soon enough, of that he was confident, though on what he based his confidence he could not have said.  And it was so like him, and yet so unlike him that he actually laughed aloud.

“Miroku?” a soft, feminine voice called to him.  And with sudden clarity he remembered that he was searching for a woman.  Not wholly unexpected, but he then realized that he was searching for a specific woman.  Unbidden a name came to him ::Kagome::  His brow creased with concentration.  Where had he heard that name before?

He had altered direction, heading toward the sound of the woman who had called his name.  And then he heard a shriek from that same direction.  Immediately he quickened his pace to a dead run.  Whoever she was, she was in danger.

Breaking into a small clearing he saw a girl with dark, wild, hair and brown eyes.  Her clothing was foreign to him and he suddenly knew that this was Kagome.

“Kagome!” how he had come to be in her company or how well he knew her he did not recall, but at this moment it was of the utmost importance that he save her.

She was being carried away by a hideous demon.  It had four arms, a bulky girth, and several horns scattered haphazardly about its head.  Miroku charged it, whipping out several spiritual scrolls which he threw at the beast.  They clung to the creature and immediately rendered it immobile.  Miroku snatched the girl from its arms and placed her behind himself.  Raising his staff he used the sharp edge to slice right through the monster.  To his surprise the creature seemed to evaporate into thin air.

“Oh, Miroku.” The young woman sighed against his back in relief and he turned to clasp her arms.  But when she lifted her face to his he was surprised to see that she had changed.

The woman before him had dark hair and brown eyes, but her locks were perfectly tamed and her eyelids tinted pink.  Her clothing was not so foreign at all.  She wore a kimono in shades of pink and a green wrap around her waist.  All thoughts of the strange girl called Kagome vanished in an instant.  This woman he most certainly knew.

“Sango…” he breathed.

 

***

 

            “Dinner time, wash up.” Mrs. Higurashi wiped her hands on a towel as she stepped into the doorway of the living room to summon her children.  Her eye lit on Kagome and she adopted a look of mild confusion.  “Why, Kagome – I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”

            Kagome looked up and arched a brow, “Why not?”  she lived here didn’t she?  And it wasn’t like she went out much.

            “Don’t you have something to be doing?”

            Kagome stood slowly, staring at her mother blankly, “I don’t think so…” what was wrong with her mom?

            Her mother shook her head, “No matter dear, come in to dinner.”

            And so Kagome did, but all through the meal her mother just kept looking at her.  It was making her decidedly uncomfortable and she found herself unable to remain still in her seat, instead shifting from side to side as though she were a five year old.  Grandpa wasn’t helping either.  The moment she’d stepped into the room he’d scolded her for neglecting her duties.  But when pressed to reveal what duties she was neglecting he would not answer.  Now he was staring at her sullenly over his bowl of rice.  Only Souta didn’t seem to have a problem with her being there, but even he had again asked her if she hadn’t been looking for someone when she had first come home.

            She denied it, of course.  Who would she be looking for?  Her family was all here.  Even Buyo – who never missed a meal.  So what was their problem?

            Finally unable to endure their scrutiny any longer Kagome set down her bowl (with slightly more force than was necessary) and requested permission to leave the table.  Her mother granted it and she walked rather moodily into her room where she shut the door and attempted to work on her homework.  But after fifteen minutes and nearly as many failed attempts to make it through the first paragraph of her history book she gave up and instead flipped on the radio.

 

***

 

            Miroku could not remember the last time he had been this genuinely content.  He felt as though nothing could go wrong, and nothing could ever be better than this moment. 

            “Miroku?” Miroku looked over at the beautiful woman beside him.  She was sitting with her legs modestly tucked under her.  “I don’t think you’re paying attention to me at all.” She accused suspiciously, “and that is unusual.”

            A slow, sensuous, grin slide over his features, softening them, “Why, my dear Sango – allow me to lay your fears to rest…” his hand was creeping toward her backside, and then it was in the air, suspended by her grip on his wrist.  Her eyes were dangerously narrow, and her lovely mouth twisted into a displeased frown.

            “Hand to yourself monk.” She snapped, literally tossing his hand back at him.  “Stupid pervert.” The grumbled complaint was difficult for him to catch as she averted her face from him.

            He gave a dramatic sigh and leaned around her to catch her eye.  “I can’t help it you know.  It’s my hand – it’s-”

            “Cursed.  I know.” She interrupted him, rolling her eyes and turning toward him once more.  “When are you going to grow up, Miroku?”

            That hurt more than he cared to admit, but he wasn’t going to let her see that.  After all, it would ruin a perfectly wonderful day.  And Miroku was incredibly skilled at subduing negative thoughts and feelings.  Hadn’t he been doing that his entire life?  He glanced down at his right hand and the beads that covered his painful memories.  Yes, he suppressed his negative thoughts quite well.

            “Sorry.” Miroku looked up to see that Sango’s eyes had also wandered to his ‘cursed’ hand.  “You grew up a long time ago.”

            Miroku smiled in attempt to erase the sadness from her eyes, “as did you.” He whispered, reaching out a finger to gently stroke her cheek.  He was mildly surprised that she allowed the touch.  Sango was not against innocent physical contact, but she did not often trust him so soon after an attempt to… take advantage of her…  He let his hand fall to his side once more and turned his attention to the forest before them.  It had been too long since he had enjoyed a moment like this.

            “Sango?”

            “Hmmm?” she seemed languid, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.  This truly surprised him and his head jerked quickly to glance at the top of her head.

            “I’ve missed you…” he whispered, afraid that if he spoke too loudly she’d come to her senses and slap him – or maybe knock him over the head with that weapon of hers.  That gave him pause… he hadn’t noticed her weapon with her.  She always kept it with her.  Surreptitiously he glanced around the clearing for it.  No sense giving her ideas.

            “Missed me?” she echoed, “have I been gone?”

            Again his eyes moved to glance at her head, narrowing with intensity as though by force of will he could see through her skin and into her thoughts.

            “Yes.” He answered slowly.

            “I don’t remember.” She looked up at him with a smile before resuming her earlier position, “now is too wonderful to remember before.  I missed you…”

            Now Miroku was getting that feeling again - the one he got when his holy powers were trying to tell him that something was very wrong.  He didn’t want to hear that voice darnit, he wanted to stay here, with her and just be happy for once in his miserable life!  To really be happy, and not just pretend.  He frantically, though discreetly, scanned the surrounding area, searching in earnest for hiraikotsu.  It had to be here.  Sango would never go anywhere without her weapon.

            “Sango?” he tried to force a casual tone.  “Did you lose your weapon when the creature attacked you?”

            “My weapon?” she gave a light laugh, “why are you thinking of my weapon at a time like this?  I’d much rather think about more pleasant things.”

            He looked at her with renewed suspicion.  That sounded nothing like the Sango he knew.  “Maybe we should look for it.” He suggested, “it is probably in need of repair.”

            “It can wait, Miroku.” She sounded upset, or maybe testy was a better word.  Whatever it was it was definitely all wrong.  His holy sense was practically overwhelming him, screaming for him to fight.  But he didn’t even know what he was supposed to fight.

            “Oh, Miroku,” she reached her arm up to weave her fingers through his hair, “can’t you just forget about all that for a little while.” She was pressed against him, and any other time he would have found it nearly impossible to think, but now his mind was racing and his holy powers flaring, “stay with me.” She whispered into his ear, her tongue flicking out to taste him.

            And then she found herself abruptly bereft of one monk as he shot to his feet and took up a defensive position facing her.

            “Who are you?” he ground out between clenched teeth. He was angry with whoever dared use his inmost desires against him - angry with himself for not realizing the truth sooner.  Sango was gone!  He knew that.   And Kagome – Kagome needed him now!

            She looked hurt, but he wasn’t falling for it.  Deceive a man once and you are clever, deceive him twice and he is a fool.   She stood slowly and made as if to come near him, but he raised his staff warningly.

            “What is this?” he demanded.

            “Miroku,” she said softly, “isn’t this what you’ve always wished for?  Join me.” She stretched her hands toward him and he shook his head violently.  Something was wrong with him; his thoughts were too cloudy, his movements too sluggish.

            “Where are we?” there was nothing gentle in his tone now.  He needed to know what was going on.

            She smiled gently, “We’re right where you began.”

            Began?  Where had he been?  He had been… looking for Sango… no – for… someone. Who? He had known just a moment before, but now…  He couldn’t focus, and he could see her smile growing as he attempted to concentrate.  Angry, he allowed his holy powers free reign; they flared violently clearing his head and causing the woman to step back.

            Kagome.  He had been looking for Kagome.

            Looking for her because… because… because a fog had separated them!  But where was the fog?

            And as soon as he thought it he could see it, swirling in the air around him.  The woman across the clearing looked almost frightened.

            “Stop, Miroku.” She pleaded softly, entreating him with her eyes.  But he would not be seduced.

            This place was still wrong.  He had been… in the dark forest.  Only, it hadn’t been dark, it had been gentle sunlight and beauty, and he wasn’t in a clearing, he was on a path.

            And he could see it, faintly as though the clearing he was standing in was overlaid on the path he remembered.  And the woman was fading too, and he suddenly knew – he knew what was happening.

            “An illusion!” he cried.

            And with his words the illusion fell away to reveal that he was lying on the very path he remembered last walking upon. And above him, hovering all around, were dozens upon dozens of fairies.

            “Be gone!” he jumped to him feet causing the fairies to scatter.  He could feel his holy power sparking at them, forcing them back.  And then he looked away to find Kagome on the ground several feet away.  She too was surrounded by fairies, and she was mumbling to herself, speaking to … her mother…

            And then Miroku knew what had happened.

            He had heard stories of fairies, but he had rarely run across one, and had never seen so many.  But the stories said that fairies fed off dreams.  They would trap men in their web and force them into never ending sleep, draining their very life energy slowly away.  He had never put much stock in such tales, but now… he remembered the uneasy feeling he had had all morning, and the sudden rise of fog…

            If the tales were true, then it was likely only his holy power had saved him.  And Kagome had no such advantage, which meant that she was in very real danger.  He didn’t know if he could do anything to help her at this point, but he knew he had to try.    

All this he processed in a mere instant, and then he was running toward her and into the heart of the fairy swarm.

            “Detestable creatures!” Miroku cried, “Let – her – go.” Each word was punctuated and separated by the swing of his staff.

            The fairies scattered, desperately trying to avoid danger, but they did not go far off.  Clearly they were still hoping to keep their prey.

            Miroku plunged into the thick of them – he was not going to let that happen.

 

***

 

            Kagome was sitting under the goshinboku.  This was her favorite spot in all the world.  It was so peaceful, and the tree made her feel anchored, safe.  That was something she desperately needed right now – she was so confused…

Her family had been behaving strangely ever since last night.

As she sat, lost in thought, her mother came to sit beside her.  Her mother did not look at her, only at the tree, but her words were clearly for Kagome.  “Thinking of another place?” she asked.

Kagome looked at her in bewilderment.  “No mama.”

“Oh?” her mother looked surprised, “shouldn’t you be?”

Kagome shook her head, grasping her mother’s hand to keep her attention.  “Mama, I don’t know what you’re talking about!  Can’t you just tell me?” she was pleading, but she didn’t care.

Her mother smiled sadly, “I can’t. Kagome, some things you must do on your own.”

“But I don’t understand.” Kagome’s grasp tightened, “You keep saying there’s somewhere else I need to be.  But I don’t know where that is!” and her mother opened her mouth to answer.  But whatever it was she might have said, Kagome never heard, for in the next moment her mother was fading away, replaced by shadowed forest and a cold dirt path.

It was as though she could feel the world shift around her.  One moment she was at home sitting by the old tree, and the next she was awake, and she realized it was only a dream.  She was still in the Labyrinth, and something was terribly wrong.  Why was she lying on the ground?  She heard Miroku near by and tried to sit up, but, though she could now see her true surroundings, she found herself unable to move, to help, to react.

            Hundreds of colorful winged beings – fairies, Kagome realized - had surrounded Miroku and were circling around him.  The monk was swinging his staff in wide arcs.

            “I won’t let you have her!” he shouted between strokes.  “Go away, miserable vermin!”

            They were laughing at him.  That silent laughter that left Kagome feeling as though she had heard a chorus of tinkling bells, without her having heard any noise at all.

            She tried to cry out to him, but her lips would not move and her voice made no sound.  This was torturous - far worse than their earlier dangers because in this instance she was absolutely helpless.   Miroku was obviously outnumbered. 

            He glanced back at her in anguish, but he did not seem to realize that she had awakened.  A fairy moved toward her, a swirling fog emanating from its beating wings.  Miroku let out an inhuman shout and withdrew several sealing scrolls from his robes; throwing them into the air he uttered a chant and they seemed to take on life, hovering around him and shooting out to form a circle surrounding the fairies.  They then proceeded to spin rapidly creating the appearance of a cyclone.  As Kagome watched Miroku raised his right hand to hold it before his face, first and middle finger upright and almost touching his lips in a gesture Kagome had seen martial artists use, and then the chant was finished and the scrolls shone so brightly it hurt her eyes.  A current seemed to spark between them, and the fairies let out a shriek that somehow made no true sound before collapsing to the forest floor.

            Miroku nearly collapsed as well – it was clear he had overexerted himself with such a show of power.  But his concern for Kagome overrode any weariness and he forced himself to walk to her before falling to his knees.

            When the fairies hit the ground Kagome had felt as though a jolt had gone through her, overwhelmed she had been unable to keep her eyes open.  In fact, she was later fairly certain that she had fainted.  That was the only logical way to account for her position upon opening her eyes once more.

            Miroku, having taken a moment to catch his breath and steady himself, had placed a hand against her neck to feel for her pulse.  Satisfied that she was still alive he attempted to rouse her by calling her name, but was alarmed to find that even shaking her gently by the shoulders produced no response.

            He was certain that killing the fairies had freed her from their grasp, and when he reached out with his aura this assumption was confirmed.  So then, she was now merely asleep.  An intense relief swept through him and he allowed himself to relax. Since he no longer needed to worry about her safety Miroku was at his leisure to wake her, and after several moments stumbled upon a sudden and rather appealing idea.

            His lips tugged upward in a grin that would have been charming had there been anyone to see it, but when coupled with the gleam in his eye any woman who knew him would have been immediately suspicious.

            Sliding his hand behind Kagome’s neck and into her hair Miroku slowly leaned toward her.  His eyes closed in anticipation, but the instant before his lips would have touched hers Kagome’s eyes snapped open.   

            “What do you think you’re doing, monk?”

            Miroku opened his eyes and assumed an innocent expression Kagome knew better than to trust,

            “My dear Kagome, I was simply attempting to revive you be any means necessary.”

            “I’ll bet.” She pushed herself into a sitting position and leveled him with a look that immediately caused him to back away.  The man didn’t even know what CPR was and he was still trying to use it as an excuse! “Thanks.” She said dryly.

            “Of course, Kagome.” Miroku stuck his hands in his sleeves and stood to his feet.  “Always happy to help. “ He reached a hand down to help her to her feet, and Kagome stared at it suspiciously for a moment before placing her hand in his.  “Shall we be off then?”

            She nodded and brushed herself off before following after him, intent on demanding an explanation for what had just happened to them.