"Houshi-sama...even if Inuyasha becomes a full demon, I would like to stay with him."
"Sango."
"Even though I caused so much trouble because of Kohaku everyone still stays with me as if nothing happened. So, I'll do the same."

Seconds turned into minutes, and Sango finally looked away from Miroku. Choosing, instead, to look at the water in front of them.

Miroku finished washing his hands, then stood and moved to sit beside her. She glanced at him briefly, giving him a look of warning, but even he knew when to keep his hands to himself. "Sango…I'm glad that you can tell me that, but why not tell Inuyasha? Shouldn't you tell him too?"

The taijiya sighed and continued staring at the water. "…Kagome-chan is with him…I…I was going to tell it to him. But before I could, Kagome-chan reached him. I…didn't want to bother her."

Miroku nodded slowly, then turned to look at Sango. "Kagome-sama cares deeply for Inuyasha. She only wishes to comfort him."

Sango sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I know…But…"

"Sango, sometimes if you care about someone, you'll do anything to make that person happy. Even if that anything is letting someone else comfort him when you want to be the one doing the comforting." Miroku said, turning his attention to the water as well.

Sango froze, feeling her heart beginning to race. She took a minute to try and calm down before speaking, willing her voice to remain steady, "H…Houshi-sama…what are you implying? That I care about…Inuyasha? Why…Why would you think that? Kagome-chan loves him. I…I wouldn't…I could never…" She trailed off and hugged her knees, focusing intently on the water.

The monk smiled, but kept his gaze on the waters surface, "I wasn't implying anything. But you should tell Inuyasha your feelings. He deserves that, at least."

The taijiya nodded slowly, then turned to look at Miroku, "Thank you, Houshi-sama." She then sat up on her knees and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a short hug. "Thanks for everything." With that said, she smiled and stood up to go find Inuyasha.

"Oh, and Sango?" Miroku called, grabbing her hand before she could leave.

She looked at him, surprised, "Hai?"

He smiled once again, "What I said works both ways. If Kagome-sama truly cares for Inuyasha, she would want him to be happy even if he chooses someone other then her." He gave her hand a squeeze then let her go, turning back to the water.

She slowly pulled her hand back, just looking at his form silently. Then, an understanding smile crossed her lips. He knew…And she couldn't help but wonder if he had known before she herself had realized it. "Thank you…" She said once more, before running into the forest to search out her hanyou companion.

*

Kagome had left Inuyasha alone, after he had asked her to, that is. He cared for her, and he was grateful for her comfort. But, the truth of the matter was, he didn't love her. He couldn't love her. Every time he looked at her, it was like he was seeing Kikyou again…Her look…her scent…everything about her reminded him of Kikyou. And it was for that reason that he couldn't love her, even of he wanted to.

"My claws could rip through them next time…" Inuyasha muttered, looking at his claws. Though the blood was no longer visible, that didn't mean it wasn't there. His keen dog-like senses could still smell the blood. Even more so, he could still feel the blood on those deadly claws. He couldn't remember anything that had happened; only that he had wanted to kill everything and everyone who dared stand in his path. And that's what scared him…He couldn't remember…

'Dammit! Why…won't…it…disappear?!' The hanyou once again jumped into the knee-deep water as he scrubbed his claws over and over again with the cloth Kagome had given to him, trying so desperately to rid them of the scent of blood.

'That's not what I wanted! That's not what I wanted! That's not what I wanted!' The same phrase repeated itself in his mind as he scrubbed his claws until they were raw and had started to bleed.

He raised his hands out of the water and watched as drops of water and blood dripped into the water. Minutes passed, yet still he looked at them. Until finally, he hit his fists on the waters surface, sending a large splash of water into the air, "That's not the type of demon I wanted to become!!"

"Inuyasha?"

His ears twitched slightly as he heard her voice. He hadn't even heard her coming…hadn't sensed her approaching… "Sango." He replied, not looking at her face.

"You're hands are bleeding…"

"I know."

The water stirred slightly, and soon, the hanyou was aware of Sango standing beside him. But still, he refused to look at her.

The taijiya picked up the cloth, which had been left to float on its own in the water, then reached for one of Inuyasha's bleeding hands.

He flinched slightly, as her hand touched his, but he didn't pull it back. Instead, he let her take his hand as his eyes shifted up slightly to see what she was doing.

She skillfully tied the cloth around his knuckles, successfully covering the part which was bleeding the worst. "Kagome-chan left?"

He nodded, "I told her too…But you can stay, if you want." He quickly added.

"I just…really wanted to tell you something." She said, letting go of the wrapped hand and taking the other one.

"What would that be?" He asked curiously, his golden eyes never leaving their hands.

"Well…" She trailed off and frowned slightly. She needed something to wrap this hand up with as well. "Hmm…Come over here." She said, as she lead him back to the shore. There, she kneeled on the ground and motioned for him to sit down.

He did just that, sitting in front of her. And finally, he looked at her face. Only…she wasn't looking at him. So, he watched as she untied the sash from around her waist, letting the armor that had been held in place by that said sash, and her katana fall to the ground.

She then took a hold of his unwrapped hand again, and began to wrap the sash around it.

"You…don't have to do that." Inuyasha said quietly, returning his gaze to their hands.

Sango nodded, "I know…but I want to…I know you'll heal in no time, but…" She trailed off once again and shrugged.

"Didn't you want to tell me something?" He asked, wanting to know why she had come to him.

Again, she nodded, as she continued to wrap his hand, "Well…I want you to know that…that I want to stay with you…whether you decide to use the Shikon no Tama to become a full demon, a human, or even if you decide to remain a hanyou…I want to stay with you. You were always there, even after everything that's happened because of Kohaku. So, I want to always be there for you, whatever you decide to do…" She finished tying the sash around his hand, then sat with her hands in her lap, looking down.

The hanyou looked at his newly wrapped hands, then to Sango. "I want you to stay too, Sango."

She looked up, "Really?"

He nodded, "You're a great fighter. Things wouldn't be the same without you."

"Oh…right…of course." She replied, sounding slightly disappointed. The taijiya then gathered her armor and katana in her arms, before standing up and casting a slightly sad smile back at the hanyou. "Come on…we should go find Kagome-chan and Houshi-sama before they start worrying."

Inuyasha stood up as well and nodded, "Ok…and, Sango?"

"Hmm?" She asked, as the two began walking back towards their designated campsite for the night.

"Thanks."

"Anytime, Inuyasha."

~*~

That night, after the other had fallen asleep, Sango remained awake. She sat up quietly, making sure not to bother anyone else. The taijiya was surprised to see that even Inuyasha had fallen asleep. 'Inuyasha said he wanted me to stay too…But…did he mean it in the way I do?' She wondered, as she looked at her hanyou companion. 'Inuyasha, how do you feel? Was that a comment between friends or…what…?'

Taking a deep breath, the taijiya slowly moved closer to Inuyasha, until she was in front of him. He looked so relaxed…so calm…so…peaceful.

'Inuyasha…I want to be with you…' Sango leaned closer to him. Her heart was beginning to pound inside her chest and, for a moment, she feared it would wake everyone up.

A moment passed as she hesitated, her face just inches from his. Finally she made her choice; and she didn't care what the others thought about it. The taijiya closed her eyes then gently pressed her lips to his. 'Demon…Human…Hanyou…I don't care what you decide to become...I want to be with you no matter what you do.' Opening her eyes again, she was met by two golden-amber eyes staring straight at her.

Inuyasha stared at her in silence, his eyes never leaving hers.

She couldn't look away from him even if she wanted to.

Silence…

Never had silence been so deafening…

And Sango couldn't remember the last time she had been so scared.

Finally, the hanyou reached out, placing both hands on her shoulders.

She forgot to take a breath.

And then, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest.

It wasn't until she felt the strength and warmth of his embrace, that she remembered to breath. Although that breath came out more like a choked gasp than an actual breath.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly, still holding her.

"I…don't know." She replied, just as quietly.

"I don't believe that. You always know what you're doing." He said, with a slight hint of a laugh in his voice.

The taijiya nearly laughed, but she held it in. Instead, she put her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. When she spoke, her words were muffled by the fabric of his haori. "I was…I was just letting you know I meant what I said earlier. I want to be with you…no matter what you do, I want to be with you…"

This time Inuyasha did laugh, or chuckled actually. "That's one hell of a way of letting me know, Sango."

Sango laughed as well, "I know…but…I didn't know how else to do it, Inuyasha. You seemed so…so passive about it. I had to do something…even though I thought you were asleep…"

"I didn't mean to make you think that. But with Miroku and Kagome, I wouldn't be surprised if they had been watching us earlier." Inuyasha said.

"Kagome-chan and Houshi-sama? Mm…Well, if they were watching then, what makes you think they're not watching now?" She asked, pulling away from him slightly so she could see his face.

He raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Does that matter?"

She smiled and shook her head, "No."

The hanyou let his arms fall back to his sides as he gave a slight smile, "Good. Now, can you do something for me?"

She nodded, "What is it?"

"Next time you want to show me that you mean something, don't do it when you think I'm asleep. Okay?" He said.

Sango laughed slightly, "Okay."

With that, she leaned against Inuyasha once again. And, before long, both the hanyou and the taijiya had fallen into a contented sleep.

~*~

AN: Well, there it is. That idea hit me and just would not leave me alone! So, I had to write it. Now its done, and hopefully I can get my other stories done know.

Thanks for reading this and, as always, please review. Ja ne!