Somewhere To Belong: I Remember

It was nightfall when the small group reached Kaede's house where Miroku and Sango were waiting impatiently for their return.

"Well, it's about time," said Miroku to Inuyasha as he walked in followed by Kagome, Shippo, and, finally, Suko. "And who's this?"

The Monk rushed to Suko's side and grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed it gently which, infuriated a jealous Sango.

Suko turned 12 shades of red. She had never had a guy display this kind of affection to her. She couldn't help but to giggle. "My name's Suko. What's yours?"

"My name is Miroku. May I ask you a question?"

"Here it comes," they all thought, rolling their eyes.

"Sure. What do you want to ask me?" Suko asked him, politely.

"Will you do me the honor of bearing my child?" he asked with a devilish grin.

Suko was shocked. She wasn't quite sure what to say. Finally realizing that he wasn't at all serious, she said, "We'll see how the night goes," and flashed a toothy grin of her own as their audience erupted with laughter.

"Serves you right for being such a lecherous Monk," replied Sango coldly as he sat back down beside her.

"Yeah, but she didn't exactly say No, now, did she?" he said with a grin.

After a while, Kaede approached Suko. "So, my dear, where did ye get that beautiful pendant?"

"Oh. My Uncle Sanma gave it to me before I was brought here to this time," she said as she pulled it out from her shirt and held it in her hands. "He said he got it from a pawn shop," although, Suko now realized that Kaede probably had no idea what a pawn shop was.

"Did he happen to tell ye anything about it?" Kaede asked.

"No... like what?"

"Oh, I don't know... maybe about the immense power emulating from it."

"What? You're joking, right? What do you mean, "power?" Do you mean, like, magic?" Suko asked, dumbfounded.

"In a word, yes," Kaede responded. "I'm not yet sure where this power comes from, nor if it's good or bad, but, I can tell ye, it probably has something to do with why ye were brought here."

Suko thought about this and then remembered the warm sensation she had gotten from her necklace when she had first put it on, and, again, when she was in trouble in the alley. That, in turn, reminded her of the little white-haired girl with the soul-less eyes and the bright light that came so suddenly.

"Hey! I just remembered something," Suko stated. And she explained to them the whole scenario with the girl and the men and the light and the feeling she got from her pendant when she thought she might die. "... And that's when Kagome and Shippo found me," she said, conclusively.

"A white-haired girl with a mirror, huh?" asked Miroku.

"Sounds like Kanna," replied Sango.

"Damn it! What's Naraku up to now?" growled Inuyasha.

"Excuse me, guys, but, who's Kanna? And who's Naraku?" asked Suko.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know about them," said Kagome, "Naraku is the evil Demon Lord we're trying to destroy. He's the one who put the Wind Tunnel in Miroku's hand, and who destroyed Sango's entire village through his treachery. He now holds her younger brother, Kohaku prisoner and uses him to try to get to Sango. He's the one who's responsible for most of the hardships that we, as a group, face. He's a foul demon who's trying to possess all of the Jewel Shards so he can become even stronger. Kanna is just one of his many incarnations."

"And now, it would seem, he has brought you here for some reason," replied the Monk.

"But, why? Why would this powerful Demon Lord want me? I've never even done anything remotely interesting in my life! I'm a no body! I've only ever had just one friend!" Suko cried in desperation.... " All my life, I've wanted someplace where I feel like I belong. I've always wanted to have friends who just accept me for me, and, now, I have all of you. You say this Naraku is evil, but, if he is the one who's behind this, then, he has given me everything I have ever wanted! And if he were here right now, I'd probably shake his hand!"

"All right, Suko, calm down," said Miroku, " look... you don't know Naraku like we do. He never does anything unselfishly. I know you think he has answered all of your prayers by bringing you here, but, I can assure you, unless you can find happiness within yourself, you will always be looking for somewhere to belong."

His words touched a painful thread in her heart and the sting of it brought tears to her eyes because she knew that what he was saying was true. Had she really become this pathetic? Did she really wish to be accepted by someone so badly, that it didn't matter how she got there? You're damn right, she did! For those of you who have ever been "outcast" in life, you know what it feels like to want to belong. For those of you who haven't, well, you could never possibly know the pain of longing to be loved.

"I know what you're saying is true, Miroku, because I can feel it in my heart. It's just that, now that I have my fairy tale, I don't ever want to let it go," Suko sobbed as Miroku leaned down next to her and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Then trust me when I say that we are your friends and we will always be with you wherever you go. Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked smiling at him.

"Huh? Yeah, right. Whatever," Inuyasha answered, only half paying attention.

"Thanks, everyone," replied Suko.

"Well, now that that's settled, I think we should all get some well needed rest," said Kaede.

"Good idea," they all agreed.