A/N: O.O Eowyn updated Replacement? It's the sign of the apocolypse!
Yeah, this took forever because this WAS the third priority (behind the main fanfiction story, and my stories I write for a livin') and things kept getting in the way. I had it written in June, but then the computer crashed and I lost all of it, so I put it off some more. It kept haunting me until I finally decided to sit down and finish it. So here it is.
People keep asking me why Sango's so bitchy and mean. Um...have you seen canon? She's always bitchy and mean whenever Miroku's old girlfriend's show up. It's just how she is. I'd probably be the same way.
Anyway, can't say when I'll update this again, but it'll be sooner than the gap with this chapter, I promise you.
Chapter 4: The Past
"Please, Kagome-chan, you've got to help!" Sango begged, looking more stressed than she did the day before. When she pulled Kagome aside, the exterminator looked worried, but even more than that; seemed to hold a resolve now to fight until the end.
Kagome agreed, as any friend would do. "I said I would help, Sango-chan, but what is it you want me to do? If it's about Atame-san, then you know I can't convince Miroku-sama to—"
"Not that!" the exterminator shook her head, glancing back towards the small hut, where Atame and Taro were. "I need you to help me by getting her to say something about her and Houshi-sama's past."
"The past?" repeated Kagome, giving her friend a confused look. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything," Sango replied, explaining, "If Atame thinks she can steal Houshi-sama away by guilting him using the past, then I have to know what I'm up against. Houshi-sama promised to marry me…but I have to know what he promised her."
Kagome could only stare at her friend. It seemed like it would almost be too painful for Sango, if she found out about Atame and Miroku's past to her, but Sango demanded to know about it all the same. She must be desperate to know the bond between Atame-san and Miroku-sama…kind of like how I was, before… Kagome instantly shook away those thoughts. This wasn't about her and Inuyasha. It was about Sango and Miroku, and she had to put them first in her mind.
Nodding, she replied, "All right, I'll do it, Sango-chan, but I don't know what to say…"
The exterminator's jaw clenched, "It won't matter what you say, will it? Atame's always so eager to speak of the past, I'm sure it'll just slip off her tongue before you say a word."
"Sango-chan…" Perhaps Sango was being too harsh on Atame, but given the situation, it was understandable. Kagome didn't pretend to be immune from spite caused by jealousy, either.
Glancing back towards the small hut, Atame, her red hair shining in the sun, caught Sango's eye. "There she is," she turned her attention to her now-rival, her eyes glaring. In Atame's hands was a pile of clothes, and she was heading towards the river, to do some daily washing. "Go and say something to her, Kagome-chan," Sango nudged her. Though she felt a little bit nervous, Kagome sighed and followed along with the plan, heading down towards the river.
The river itself was partially covered by trees on the very edge of the forest. This was where Atame went, setting down the clothes next to her as she knelt by the riverbank, and scooped up her sleeves, beginning her washing. Taking a small gulp, Kagome emerged into Atame's view, the sound of her feet crunching on the grass making her dark blue eyes turn.
"Um…hi?" Kagome began, feeling awkward talking with this woman when Sango had been defaming her minutes before. "I was wondering if I could help." It was a stupid excuse, but an excuse nonetheless.
But Atame wasn't so easily fooled. "Shouldn't you be with your friend instead?" By the harsh way she said the word 'friend', there was no mistake into who she was referring to.
"I saw you walking towards the river," Kagome quickly explained, "And I thought you might want a little help…after all, you have been living alone for three years, so—"
Atame sighed, turning away, "You may help, if you wish."
Kneeling down, Kagome took a cloth and submerged it in the river, the cool water flowing gently over her hands as she soaked the cloth. As she sat by Atame, Kagome noticed how there was stiffness between them, much like there was between herself and Kikyou whenever she was near.
She couldn't take this uncomfortable feeling for much longer, so Kagome worked up her courage and spoke, "Atame-san, I know you must be angry and Sango-chan because of Miroku-sama, but can't you try to understand what she is going through? I mean," she turned away quickly, so she would not have to meet Atame's eyes. "Miroku-sama did promise to marry Sango-chan."
"Men promise many things," Atame spoke softly, dipping a small cloth in to the river. "Miroku-sama promised me something as well, long ago. I have yet to find out if he intends to keep his promise."
"I'm sorry," Kagome spoke quickly. "I should not have said—"
"No," Atame shook her head, pearl earring swinging slightly. "You were only looking out for your friend when you said it. But I do understand the situation. Your friend is in love with Miroku-sama, it is easy for anyone to tell."
"It is?" Kagome was not aware Sango was so obvious about it to people who did not know them well.
Atame nodded. "It is in her eyes when she looks at him." She cast a sideways glace at Kagome. "It is the same way that you yourself look at the hanyou."
Feeling herself blush three shades of scarlet, Kagome could not help but want to hide behind one of the cloths she was helping Atame wash. She never knew she was that obvious!
Though she had half a mind to get away before Atame deciphered any more of her more intimate secrets, Kagome knew she had a mission she had to compete. "Atame-san, you said Miroku-sama made you promises before…what were they?"
It was as if Atame's dark blue eyes could see right through her as she turned back to face her. "I wasn't aware that promises made years ago had anything to do with this."
"Yes," Kagome said, sounding exasperated, "But if I knew more then maybe I'd know more of a way to fix this situation." Atame still didn't look like she was interested. With the way she was keeping her lips firmly shut, it now wasn't just about Sango getting what she wanted—Kagome was curious and wanted to hear now, too. "Atame-san, Sango-chan is my friend, and I do care about her, but I do worry about you, too. If I know exactly what Miroku-sama promised you, then perhaps, a way will be revealed that can fix this mess."
That seemed to do it, as Atame sighed, put down the dirty cloth she had been washing, and turned back to Kagome. When she looked at her, she seemed older, somehow; as if her reddish hair and blue eyes had aged at least ten years. The pearl earring and her auburn hair swept in the wind, as Atame began, slowly, "It started about four years ago, when I wasn't much older than you…it was the middle of winter, the coldest winter I ever lived out…"
Red hair was swept up by the wind, as the young woman ventured out in to the snow, heading away from the village, towards the creek. The kimono that had been her mother's was warm, but it could not protect her feet from freezing, her hands from turning red, and her breath from misting in front of her face, as her footprints marched along the path.
Atame's blue eyes, more striking than ever, glanced around, as she thought she heard a strange sound on the wind…howling? She stopped suddenly, her feet making a crunch through the snow, and glanced back at the huts aligned behind her. Nothing. What was that noise? Just the wind?
Shrugging it off, she continued on, carrying the basket of clothes that needed to be washed along with her. She didn't have time to waste now. If she spent too long out in the cold, she would freeze to death like the village elder who died a few years back. Atame kept on, marching past the trees bare of leaves, panting slightly with the extra exertion of having to step higher to make it over the piles of snow, until she heard the sound again.
It was a long, slow howl, like a pack of a thousand wolves. It sounded far away, and mysterious; as if it wasn't quite from this world. Wolves? In the forest?
Blue eyes darted from left to right. At any sign of movement, she was ready to run straight back to her hut and wait for morning. But nothing came. Had it only been her imagination? Was it too far away that it didn't see her? Was it—?
Her scream rung through the air as a giant phantom of a wolf leapt through the trees, pouncing right at her. Atame didn't have time to react as it swiped at her with its giant, half-corporeal paw. It missed her by inches, and she rolled on the ground, it's claws taking out the bag of dirty laundry, clothes falling all around the snow filled clearing as she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Someone help me! Please!"
Again, the ghostly wolf leapt for her, and just barely had time to dodge out of the way. "Help me!" The third time the sharp, ghostly claws lunged for her, there was no escape. Atame had nothing to do but stagger back, and cringe, waiting for impact that would hit in only seconds—
"Get down!" came a voice, and before Atame could register where the voice had come from, she felt someone push her towards the ground, her face falling in to the cold, wet snow. She heard the monster give a howl of rage, and she heard her savior, in a strong voice say, "Get away from her, you don't belong in this world anymore."
Atame looked back up to see someone standing above her. He had pushed her back, and he was standing profile towards her, facing the ghostly wolf. He was dressed in the robes of a monk, with a staff in one hand, and a piece of paper with calligraphy written on it in the other. She noticed his right hand was encased in a strange glove, wrapped with prayer beads. His face she could make out perfectly, with black hair done in a small ponytail, and indigo colored eyes.
The monk grinned slightly. "So, you won't go quietly? I guess I'll have to make you leave!" Taking aim, he threw the paper straight at it hitting dead on. There was a great flash of light, and a howl of rage from whatever it was and when Atame looked back, she saw an ordinary wolf lay on the ground, while a hazy figure flew high overhead.
It lashed towards the monk, while she gave a gasp, but after a moment, he swung at it with his staff, clutching a wound in his side. The thing, which resembled white mist, flew upwards, towards the sky, ready to attack. "If you value your life," he spoke directly to Atame, pulling at the prayer beads on his right hand. "Then stay back!"
What she saw made her only scream again.
Wind erupted from his hand, sucking the creature in, in screamed, and writhed in agony, and it was pulled towards its death. Finally, with one last cry, it was sucked in, and the monk shut the hole tight. Atame could only stare with wide eyes, trying to comprehend what she saw.
"Are you all right?" he asked, coming over to her and helping her up.
"Y-yes…" she nodded, still dumbstruck. "What was that thing?"
"Phantom of a wolf youkai," he explained. "It was lucky I was traveling by these parts. They can be vicious if not taken care of." Atame couldn't help but notice as he spoke; he was very handsome…
She glanced at the wound on his chest. "You're bleeding!"
"It's fine!" he shrugged it off. "I get wounded all the time, no big deal. Don't worry about me. Run along home, your mother will be worried about you."
Her face fell for a moment, but then she nodded, turning back with a sigh, to see all her clothes she had taken for washing strewn about the clearing. She had just begun to pick them up when she heard a groan from behind, and the sound of something collapsing. Looking back, she saw the monk lying on the ground, unconscious. "What—what happened?"
She ran over to him, glancing at his wound. In an instant, she knew what had happened. "Poisoned…it was probably fast acting…" There was only one way to save him now. She had to get back to her hut and get the healing supplies she had there. Leaving him was the only option, moving a body with fast acting poison only killed him faster.
Even though he couldn't hear her, she couldn't help but say, "I'll be back soon," and race off towards her hut.
Miroku awoke several hours later, on a warm futon, in front of a fire, in an unfamiliar hut. Last night, he had slept in a haystack. This couldn't be a dream, could it? He groaned, feeling pain shoot across his side. No, it hurt too much to be a dream.
His eyes opened, to see a woman seated at the opposite end of the hut, staring at him with interest. "Awake, are you?"
"What happened?" he asked, glancing around, taking in his surroundings. A modest hut, like the kind a married couple would have…but this girl didn't look married…
"You fought that youkai, do you remember?" she asked. "But hit hurt you, and its claws held poison. I knew how to save you, but it was fast acting. A little longer and you would have died."
Miroku chuckled, sitting up on the futon, discovering his chest was bare, except for a bandage wrapped around it. He could not help but notice how her eyes widened at the sight. "I would thank you, but I don't even know your name."
"My name is Atame," she replied. "and I suppose if you know my name, I should know yours."
"I am the monk Miroku," he answered.
"Well, Miroku-sama," Atame said matter-of-factly. "That wound of yours is nasty, but it'll heal all right, in time. You'll have to stay here a few days anyway."
He shook his head, grabbing for his robes folded neatly next to him. "No, I won't trespass on your kindness any longer, Atame-dono. You've been…very kind, and all, but I do have to get back to my master...he's expecting me to return within the day and—"
Before he could keep going, Atame pulled back the bamboo curtain of the hut, letting the frigid winter air in, to show him the storm going on outside. "A blizzard was starting just as I pulled you in. Like it or not, you're stuck here for a while."
Sighing, Miroku glanced away and pulled his robes over his head. Mushin was expecting him, but it could be worse…he could be stuck in a hut with an old man instead.
The blizzard went on for two days, in which time both Atame and Miroku talked, and began to get to know each other. She learned of his curse, feeling heartbroken when she knew his life was limited. He felt sorry for her when he learned of the hardships she faced. And more then once, he spotted her glancing his way, with a longing in the corner of her eye…a longing for something more.
When the blizzard finally ceased, Miroku decided to stay a few extra days, to repay her for the kindness she showed him, and in saving his life from the poison. He helped carry water back to her hut, talking with her along the way. She seemed very intelligent, but was naïve about some of the ways of the world. She didn't understand what it was like to fight for yourself day after day. She was lonely, ever so lonely, and Miroku only wanted to cheer her up…but he realized he had been going about it the wrong way when he knew he could make his master wait no longer.
"I have to leave," he told her that dark night as he packed his things away. "I cannot make Mushin wait any longer for this scroll."
"But—" she begged, blue eyes full of tears.
Indigo eyes met hers. "This scroll tells how to get rid of a youkai plaguing a village far away. Only my master can decipher it. People are dying and if I don't get this back to him, more will die."
"I don't care!" Atame cried, tears falling as she wrapped her arms around him suddenly, pearl earring swinging wildly. "Miroku-sama, you're the only man who's ever…who's ever…" She sobbed as she clutched him, holding him as if he was the only thing left in the world. "I love you, Miroku-sama…I've never loved another man before you…"
His arms pulled her close, as he asked her softly, "Atame, I must leave…but…if you would do something for me, then one day, I can come back, and then we can be together."
Blue eyes widened. "Anything."
He wiped a tear away from her cheek softly, and asked, "Atame, would you bear me a child?"
There was a pause for a moment, as if she was thinking over the question, but her answer was already spelled out in her eyes as she nodded. "Yes, Miroku-sama…I would."
"He left the next day," Atame finished, now fully back to the present. "And I haven't seen him until you people showed up."
Kagome glanced downward, heart feeling heavy. "I see." So, Atame's predicament had been no better than Sango's. He had promised them both something, and now he would have to choose between one or the other. And though she wanted everything for Sango's happiness, Atame still had a child to look after…
"Do you still think of me as a threat now?" Atame asked, making Kagome give a small inhale. She hated it how Atame seemed to have the ability to almost read minds.
"I don't know what to think," Kagome spoke honestly. "This is all so…complicated."
"It's only complicated if you choose to make it," said Atame, making Kagome wonder what she had meant by it. "You can go back to your friend now, I suppose she wants to hear the story too."
"Yes…" Kagome got up to leave, but was stopped when Atame was looking at her, her blue eyes giving off a mysterious look. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No, go, if you must." Atame shrugged her off, Kagome paused for a moment, wondering what that could have been about, before turning and leaving to go find Sango.
The instant Kagome had left, Atame turned and looked straight at the woods in front of her. "You can come out now, I've known you were there from the start."
A second later, none other than Sango emerged from the woods, glaring straight at the woman declared to be her rival. "You knew I was there?"
"Of course," Atame gathered up the rest of her washing in the small basket. "It was not hard to tell."
Just as she turned her back, Sango spoke back in a warning tone, "You may try to take Kagome-chan's pity, but you won't get mine!"
"I wasn't aiming for pity, though that point is lost on you."
Unable to keep it any longer, the exterminator lashed out, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but you won't take Houshi-sama from me!"
For a moment, Atame stopped, and turned back to face a red faced Sango. "He is free to do what he wishes," she pushed her reddish hair behind her ear, revealing the single pearl. "As are we all." With that she turned, leaving Sango behind, knowing she had met her match at last.