Disclaimer: I do not own both Inuyasha and the glorious PotO. What a pity (pouts)…

Strange Duet

By The Sweet Allure of Lady Red Death

Chapter I

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A young girl ran across the golden sand of the beach. Her hair glided gracefully on the wind, and blew behind her like a rippling stream of brown. The light of the sun shone radiantly onto each lock of hair, making it glisten as she ran. She giggled innocently, as her tiny bare feet kicked up the dusty sand. She could feel the gritty feeling of it in between her toes, and loved it. Her cat followed close behind her, twitching its nose in order to rid it of sand.

Kuronosuke de Baka, a mere boy of nine years, smiled at the child. He only wished that he could run after her. He stared at his father. Just a glance told him that he wouldn't be getting permission anytime soon. What did he expect? He was a nobleman! Boys with such high expectations did not have time to waste chasing after a girl on the beach (no matter how adorable she was). He let a disappointed sigh escape his mouth, and tried his very best not to curl his lower lip into a pout.

For a while, Kuronosuke watched the unknown beauty with a dreamy look in his eyes. He tried his best to drown out the boring chatter of his father's discourse with his fellow nobleman. His father said it would be to Kuronosuke's advantage to "learn about the family business." For god's sake, the young boy was nine! He could not have cared less about what his father's conversations were. In fact, he found himself growing weary by the minute. Kuronosuke's eyelids began to drop a bit.

The girl continued to run around atop the sand. She appeared to be singing something gay and joyful. She pranced around, skipping in circles around a tall man (who, rightfully assumed, was her father). The man appeared to be carrying a violin case under his arm and laughing as his daughter ran around him. She was his little pride and joy, and how happy she made him.

The nine-year-old then wondered where the cat had gone. It seemed she had strayed from her owner, like most cats do, in order to chase a butterfly. She clawed at playfully with a little black paw. The feline followed the butterfly along the shore, mindless of the tide, and watched it intensively as the thing flew slightly out over the deep blue ocean. She leaped after it, as the water began to pull her out into sea. The cat had only been about twenty yards to where Kuronosuke had been sitting.

The little girl cried out, "Kirara!" and started to run in after her. The man with the violin case held her back. "No, no! Kirara!" She kicked her legs wildly in the air, begging for her father to release her. "Papa! We must save Kirara!" The child fell limp, feeling tears swell up in her eyes.

Without hesitation, Kuronosuke fled from his chair and dived down into the freezing water. It pounded against his body, but he still managed to take hold of the cat, which was shivering down to her bones with fright. He, now soaking from head to toe, swam back onto the land, rubbing his new friend for warmth.

The girl burst out of her father's arms and ran to the coastline, overwhelmed with glee. Baka gave a kind look to the cat, rubbed her gently between her ears, and handed her back to her owner.

The girl's father hurried over to ask if he was alright, and Kuronosuke smiled sheepishly at him. When his father came over, however, the smile quickly disappeared from his face, replaced by a deep crimson blush.

"Kuronosuke de Baka, have I taught you nothing! How dare you… Just imagine, my son jumping into the water like a fool! And what for?"

"Her cat was drowning, father!"

He went on, as if he hadn't heard his son speak a word. "I see you find your father's work so…so…uninteresting that you dare arise from you chair—"

'Excuse me, sir, but I believe it was very kind of your son to rescue my cat. For that I am eternally grateful." The girl tugged gently on his pants, cutting him off from his speech. "If not for him, Kirara would've drowned."

His father exhaled a long sigh and turned his gaze to the gentleman before them, who smiled a bit hesitantly and held out his left hand.

"Yuudai Youkaitashi, I am most sorry-"

"My good man, you have nothing to be sorry for. Without my daughter's cat, I don't know where'd she'd be. Kirara is our best friend. Isn't that right, Kirara?" He scratched her underneath the chin, causing her to produce little purrs.

The conversation to follow was long and dreary- at least to the two kids. The boy turned his attention back onto the little girl, however, since he was shy, he didn't know what to say or do. He felt rather stupid as he felt his cheeks become heated again.

She was quite shy too. "Hello, my name is Sango." She managed to say, giggling. "Thank you…for saving my friend." When Kuronosuke didn't answer, she blinked at him and cocked her head. "What's the matter? Don't you talk much?"

"I do…" His voice trailed off into a whisper.

"Don't you…want to talk to me?" she asked.

"Yes…"

"What of?"

He honestly didn't know, so he settled for, "You?"

"Mew!" Kirara said from relaxing on Sango's shoulder.

"I think he was speaking to me, girl." Sango placed a hand over her mouth. It seemed that Kuronosuke and Sango hit it off. Sango chatted happily of her and her father's travels, and how she someday wished to be a Prima Donna.

Kuronosuke found himself wishing he could have visited all of the places she had. He had been confined most of his life in the de Baka mansion, and only got out occasionally to go to the city or visit some rich relative.

He didn't have much time to escape into his mind though, for Sango began talking about the stories her father told her before she fell asleep at night. Some were of fairy tales, of classic witches, globins, princes and beautiful princesses with glass slippers and hair of gold. Most of them, though, were the stories of a curious little girl, Little Lotte, and her Angel of Music.

Right away, Sango's eyes misted over with a dreamy look, as she began to talk about the Angel of music. She began reciting an expert from 'Little Lotte's Guardian of Music.' They were her absolute favorite, and Kuronosuke was almost envious at the compassion the small girl felt for this Angel. But he quickly erased all thoughts—she didn't really like the angel, of course. That was just ridiculous! There was no such thing as an Angel of Music, and any young girl would love a fairy-tale person. They were always their dream.

He sulked a little bit when she said, "I can't wait for my Angel to visit me! It would be great! Father promised that he would, too! He said if the Angel hadn't visited me by the time he died, he'd personally send him down to me. I believe him very much! Isn't it wonderful, Kuronosuke?" Sango sighed.

"Yes, very…" He replied, trying to hide the jealousy hidden within his voice.

All the sudden, Sango sung into the air, "Little Lotte let her mind wander…Little Lotte thought: Am I fonder of dolls…or of goblins or shoes…or of riddles or frocks… or of chocolates…"

This beguiled his sad fancy into smiling. Sango had the voice of a seraph of heaven. It was a bit immature but most definitely mesmerizing. She continued with over flowing feeling.

"No, what I love best, Lotte said, is when I'm asleep in my bed, and the Angel of Music sings songs in my head…" she paused, collapsed to the sand and looked into darkness. "…The Angel of Music sings songs in my head…"

His shyness was long forgotten, "Come now, Little Lotte, we can't have you singing about songs in your head. People will suspect things…" The playfellow sat down next to her, brushing a handful of dust onto her dress, teasingly.

Sango sat up, eyed him and grinned. "So you're making fun of me now?" And she pushed him to the ground so that his body was flat against the earth. "Is that true?"

"Of course not!" He laughed, looking up at her. The sand was sticking in his wet hair and clothing. The two fathers watched from the sidelines, silently agreeing that their two children should visit each other more often. They needed more to be with people their own age. Perhaps, in later years, their friendship would become something far more valuable…