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Japanese Vocabulary:

Name:

Kiken-na-inu-mori: Dangerous dog forest

hanyou: half demon

inuyoukai: dog demon

Onii-chan: Older Brother

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Episode 18: Secret revealed... again...

'Three days,' Sango thought.

The female monk sat at the base of a single tree, its branches reaching towards the clear blue sky above. The solitary tree sat on a grassy hill, just outside the border of the village. Sango sat against the side of the rough trunk, turned away from the village, gazing out at the land before her and the mountains in the distance, invisible to anyone who happened to glance up at the tree.

'It's been three days since Kagome and Inuyasha collapsed in that clearing,' Sango continued her train of thought.

A sigh escaped her lips. 'I hope they'll be okay...'

"Fancy meeting you here."

Sango turned her head to gaze up at the grinning demon slayer, dressed in his casual robes of violet than his usual uniform.

She returned his smile. "Hello Miroku."

"Is this seat taken?" he asked.

She shook her head, the corners of her mouth quirking up farther. "No. Go ahead."

Miroku sat down in one swift movement, crossing his legs beneath him, before turning his gaze to the land before them as Sango had only moments earlier.

"So, what brings you up here?" Sango asked, glancing at him.

"Nothing," he said," and I mean that literally. Rin had nothing else for me to do and there was still nothing from Inuyasha and Kagome. So, I decided I might as well seek you out."

She arched an eyebrow. "So I was sought out in the hope of entertainment?"

"I would put it in a better way," Miroku replied," More like, I think of you as a.... intriguing woman."

She chuckled and turned her gaze upwards. "You have something in common with the monks in the monastery I grew up in. They thought so as well."

"Is that so?" he smiled.

"Mm," she nodded," They reminded me of it constantly."

Miroku chuckled. "So, now, why are YOU up here? Could it be to escape your liege of admirers?"

Sango groaned, rolling her eyes. "Don't remind me of my gift turned curse."

'Hey,' she thought,' That's got me to thinking...'

She glanced at Miroku. "Miroku, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replied," What is it?"

She turned her gaze back to the landscape as she asked," Has your heart ever been captured by another?"

He turned to her surprised. "You mean as in, have I ever been in love?"

"Mm-hm," she nodded.

He furrowed his brows, confused but answered. "Well, I can't really say I have romantically, but if you mean in a family kind of way than I can say yes. My little sister held my heart since she was born."

Miroku's eyes saddened as he thought of his now departed sister. 'Oh, Kanna...'

Sango stared at him, sadly. "I'm sorry if I reopened some wounds."

He shook his head. "How could you have reopened them when they have not closed?"

Her eyes softened further with sadness as she returned to her thoughts. 'So... if he's never actually fallen in love with someone in a romantic way... then why has my curse not yet worked on him?'

She glanced at the saddened slayer who no longer seemed to be with her at the moment but at another time and place.

'Could it be...' she thought,' that his sorrow and pain for his sister and his village.... are overpowering the curse?'

She thought back to all the men who had been taken in by the curse. 'I don't think any of those men had ever had something so saddening, so painful happen to them at that recent time...'

The female monk glanced once again at the slayer. 'So could that be the case... Miroku has not been affected because of his sorrow?'

Sango turned her gaze once again to the open land and leaned her back against the tree, as she followed Miroku's example and became lost in her thoughts.

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The first thing Kagome heard was the sound of night birds crying out and the soft breathing of her companions. Then, her nose caught the scent of cold stew and various herbs. Finally, she realized the darkness that consumed her sight and slowly opened her eyes. The pupils of her light brown orbs, expanded as they focused in on the darkness, her night vision clicking in, making it look as if it were actually the middle of the day.

She lay still for a moment before finally pushing herself up to get in a sitting position but immediately halted as aches ran through her body, her muscles clenching from their disuse. Slowly, they relaxed but the aching did not go away bringing her back down onto her back.

'Why does my body ache so?' she thought, closing her eyes.

Then, memories filtered through of how Kikyou had arrived and they had battled. Then, as Kagome was slammed into a tree, Inuyasha had arrived and cried out her name. The others had arrived just in time to save Inuyasha after Kikyou attacked him and how Kikyou had impaled Kagome from behind. Then, the voice... the deep, husky voice.

'What happened after that?' she thought, furrowing her brows.

Then, flashes of memory slammed into her brain causing her eyes to shoot open. Flashes of her attacking Kikyou, a cloaked figure arriving, Kikyou's disappearance, and a bloodthirstiness she had never felt before in her life...

Kagome shivered as she recalled the feeling. 'I wanted blood on my claws so bad... I wanted it. I needed it. I DESIRED it...'

She felt the shame course through her body. 'I wanted to kill. I wanted to kill everyone there... no matter who they were... What kind of monster am I?'

"You're not Kagome."

Her eyes widened as the memory of his words returned.

"Kagome doesn't have eyes the color of blood...."

'But it was me...' she thought, ashamed.

"Kagome doesn't have a bloodthirsty look in her eyes...."

'I was the one with that look...'

"And Kagome.... She doesn't threaten her friends."

Her eyes widened at the word, '.... friends?'

She thought back to the times she'd spent with Sango and Miroku since first meeting them. About how despite how short a time they'd known her... they still accepted her... Then, how despite how much Kirara annoyed her, she was.... okay...Then, there was Inuyasha...

"But I can't just stand on the sidelines while you fight her alone! You're my friend and I'll stand beside you!"

The thoughts made her smile, forgetting her shame. 'Friends.... I really have friends.... '

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Crows cawed in the distance as the sun lay low over the Kiken-na-inu-mori, the Dangerous dog forest, given the name after a certain hanyou girl had moved in so long ago, before she had been sealed to the tree. The filtering sun light shone particularly on one wooden hut where one boy of the future, still lay unconscious.

Kagome glanced once more at Inuyasha, who had still not woken up. Kagome had woken up the past night but the others did not realize it until they had risen that morning. Kagome had been told of how long she had slept which left Kagome surprised but she accused Kikyou's poison to being the cause. She was, after all, a very powerful inuyoukai.

Light Brown orbs flickered again to the prone body. Kagome let out a frustrated growl. Why couldn't he just wake up already? She was really starting to get a little nervous. From what the others told her, he had been asleep for four days. Shouldn't a human have woken up by now? She had to continually remind herself that humans did not heal as fast as her so it was less likely that he would wake up so soon.

She sighed in impatience and frustrastion, sliding down the wall of the hut to the floor. She winced when she felt her body protest. She had mostly healed but it seemed that it was going to take a little longer for the poison to truly disperse from her system.

Kagome leaned back her head, closing her eyes, as she tried to relax her body when the sun set, and her body stiffened once more, a pulse coursing through her.

She opened her eyes in surprise. 'What the-'

Her eyes widened as another pulse ran through her.

'It can't be,' she thought, glancing outside, but her thoughts were contradicted by the half moon luminating the sky above.

She closed her eyes again, as the transformation took place. An invisible breeze blew around her as her ears started to shift, moving down the sides of her head, the fur shrinking back as they rounded and curved. Her claws shrank back and rounded and her fangs disappeared, replaced with dull canines. Then, the wind died down as Kagome slowly opened her eyes revealing dark blue orbs.

She winced, placing a hand over the wound on her stomach as it throbbed a bit, before it eventually died down, replaced with a little of the aching from before. She sighed, removing hand from her stomach as she turned her head to the half moon, taunting her from above.

'I had no idea that it was the half moon tonight,' she thought,' Well, at least I’d healed a bit before it came up. That way, it’s not nearly as bad as it could be.'

At that moment, with her human hearing, she caught the sound of footsteps walking up to the hut. Kagome turned her head to meet the person, as the bamboo mat was pushed to the side.

Sango paused with her hand still holding the mat to the side as she took in the human girl staring up at her. She was ready to question the girl's presence when she spied the familiar green kimono the girl was clothed in. Sango turned her head to glance up at the sky, and it clicked into place as she spotted the half moon.

She turned to look back at the human Kagome. "Human night, huh?"

Kagome nodded, knowing that Sango had seen her in this form once before while they were in the demon slayers' village. While they had been waiting for Miroku to wake up, there happened to be a half moon and Kagome had transformed in front of Sango. Sango had been surprised to say the least, but after it had been explained she had nodded and went on with helping take care of Miroku.

"Sango, why are you standing in the door-"

Miroku stopped behind Sango when he saw a strangely familiar human girl sitting against the wall. He took her in her long black hair with two forelocks in front of her rounded ears. Then, her night blue eyes which stared at him as if waiting for something. Then, he looked down to see a very familiar green cloth clothing her body.

He studied the kimono a bit longer, noticing how much it looked like strangely like what his half demon companion wore. Then, he glanced once more up at her eyes and realized he had seen this same girl but with light brown orbs and dog ears.

"Kagome?" he finally said.

Kagome sighed as he finally figured it out. "Yes, it's me."

Sango stepped out of the doorway so Miroku could step inside.

"You..." he said," You're human."

Kagome sighed once more. "Yes, I’m human."

He paused for a moment, staring over her again before asking the expected question," Why?"

"It's a half moon," she replied," You wouldn't know about it."

Sango looked at Miroku and said," That's right. You don't know about Kagome's transformation. You had still been unconscious when she transformed."

"What is this... transformation?" asked Miroku.

"Well..." Sango trailed, as she glanced over at Kagome, questioningly.

Kagome sighed but nodded, so Sango continued.

"On a certain night, Kagome transforms from her usual half demon state," Sango said," Her ears become human, her claws and fangs disappear, her eyes darken to night blue, and her senses become that of a normal human's. This is a transformation that occurs in all half demons. Although, since this transformation makes them vulnerable they like to keep it a secret, so that's probably why you didn't know and why I didn't know when I first heard of it. Kagome's night just so happens to occur on the half moon."

"You say that she transformed while I was unconscious," Miroku replied," That was about half a moon cycle ago so does that mean she transforms every half moon?"

"I was just wondering that same thing," Sango said, turning towards Kagome.

"Most half demons only transform once a moon cycle," the half demon girl replied," but it seems I’m one of the special cases seeing as I transform on BOTH half moons."

"Interesting," Miroku murmured," We never learned THIS during training. If other slayers ever learned of this..."

Kagome glanced sharply at him. "Miroku, you can't tell anybody about this night. Enemies could use it against me and attack me while I’m in this weak state."

He glanced up surprised and slightly hurt. "I had no intention of revealing your secret. I would never do that to one of my friends."

Kagome’s eyes widened slightly as she looked in surprise. Sure, she had started to think of them of friends but it had never actually been said aloud by anyone other than Inuyasha. Kagome was saved from reacting to his statement any longer by Rin as she walked in.

She took one glance at Kagome, paused for a second… before turning back to continue what she was doing, nodding.

They all glanced surprised at her, including Kagome.

“Let me guess,” said Rin, without turning around, as she was putting a few things away,” You’re all wondering why I am not as surprised as you are at Kagome’s human transformation.”

“How do you know about it?” asked Kagome, confused,” I don’t remember ever telling you anything.”

Rin completed the task she had been taking care of and turned around, looking at Inuyasha. “Has he woken up yet?”

“Don’t change the subject,” said Kagome, standing up and glaring at Rin,” How do you know about my transformation?”

Rin closed her eyes sighing, as she sat down. “Please take a seat and I’ll tell you.”

Kagome obliged crossing her arms against her chest. “Now answer me.”

Glancing at Sango and Miroku, Rin said,” You too.”

They sat down, staring at her, curiously.

“Now then,” said Rin,” I know about your transformation because I saw it occur.”

“What?” said Kagome,” You mean, you saw me transform?”

“Yes,” she replied,” about 15 years ago to be exact. It was purely accidental, though. It’s not like I went and sought you out.”

Kagome merely was silent, waiting for her to continue.

“So,” Rin continued,” 15 years ago, a little while after Kagome met Sesshoumaru Onii-chan, I had gone out in to the forest. I had been 7 at the time and I had gone out to gather herbs for the village healer. I would visit her at times and she would teach me all about herbs and their uses, in exchange for my help with gathering them. She was getting old so it was becoming difficult for her.”

“Anyways, I had gone out in the forest, gathering herbs and most times, I was able to get home before the sun set but I had gone a little farther into the forest than I had planned and had been unable to find my way back so I ended up traveling even deeper into the forest. It was really starting to grow dark and I was getting a little scared, when I saw Kagome. I was so happy to see her, thinking she would be able to help me find my way out…”

“But, strangely enough, she seemed to have not yet noticed me. I stood by the tree line, watching her as I tried to puzzle it out, when the sun set. Kagome started to pulse a few times and then… she started to change.”

“I couldn’t see all that happened as she transformed, but I did notice that when it was finally over, Kagome had become a human. I was very surprised and unsure what to do. Kagome seemed to be upset about the transformation and I did not want to get on her bad side… so I turned around, and left. Somehow, I eventually ended back up at the village and Sesshoumaru Onii-chan, although he tried to hide it, had been very worried. I was scolded when I returned. I never told Sesshoumaru Onii-chan about it. I wasn’t sure what he would have said…”

Kagome stared at Rin as she finished, trailing off. “So, you really did see me transform, after all.”

“Mm-hm,” Rin nodded,” It really surprised me. It wasn’t until I overheard you telling Sesshoumaru Onii-chan about it that I understood what happened.”

“You overheard me telling Sesshoumaru?” Kagome raised an eyebrow. “I know I was human that night so that’s probably why I didn’t know you were there but I had taken Sesshoumaru out in the forest alone to tell him. Does that mean you were spying on us?”

Rin flushed as she realized she’d been caught.

“I wouldn’t call it spying,” she protested,” More like… checking up…”

“Mm-hm,” said Kagome,” You’re a little sneak.”

“I am not,” Rin replied, pouting childishly,” besides, I was 7 and my Onii-chan was out alone in the forest with a girl. You can’t blame me.”

Kagome blushed at the implications that Rin had unknowingly made.

Sango placed her hand in front of her mouth to hide an amused smile, as she glanced at Kagome.

“Well,” said Rin, getting up,” It’s getting late we should all get some sleep. Kagome?”

Kagome shook her head. “I don’t sleep on my human nights. I’ll stay up and watch over Inuyasha, to see if he wakes up.”

“Are you sure?” said Rin,” Even you must need sleep, sometimes.”

Kagome shook her head again. “No. I’m okay.”

Rin nodded as she turned around and went towards another room in the hut. “If you say so.”

Sango and Miroku went to lay on two futons that they had been using as beds while they had been staying at Rin’s hut, while Kagome went and settled down beside the still unconscious Inuyasha, to watch over him for the night.