A/N: I do not, I repeat do not own any part of Inuyasha or any of it's affiliates … sigh …

I have taken the advice of a really good writer, and even though it has taken some time to get to this … I have revised the first three chapters. I hope that reading them will be more enjoyable!

Revised August 7, 2006

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Chapter One – Sango's Tears …

The forest was dark with ominous shadows, not that she noticed. She kept walking forward in a near daze. Her eyes momentarily dry from the countless tears that she had cried over the last couple of days. Sango did not really have a destination, however; she didn't want to go back "there" just yet. The pain in her heart was still too great for her to bear and she did not want the pain to escalate further. Unbidden, images flashed in her mind.

'No! I don't want to remember. Please, not just yet.' She whispered to herself. Encompassing sorrow washed over her and her eyes threatened tears, again. She felt like a fool. She had known that Miroku was of the lecherous kind. She cursed herself for allowing Kagome to talk her into feeling things and admitting things that Sango should have never felt nor said.

Sango stopped walking and stood where she was. She did not notice that the forest had taken on an eerie silence and that the only sound now was from her ragged breathing from a pain-tightened throat. Sango looked down at the ground as she felt bone numbing weariness creeping up her limbs. Inside a piece of her wanted to surrender to the numb, curl up and not feel anything, ever.

Eyes like the darkest night watched her every move.

Sango moved and a flash of motion caught her attention. She tensed shaking herself from the stupor that she had found herself. It was at that moment in which she finally sensed the evil yokai presence that had been stalking her for over a day. The demon had been watching and waiting for her to show a sign of weakness.

The beast lunged at her from its hiding spot among a thick patch of brush several feet away. Sango jumped to the side, barely avoiding the demon's first attack. She had barely turned in the direction of the fiend grabbing her Hiraikotsu, when the creature lunged again at her. Knocking her off her feet, the demon landed beside her. She rolled away from the vile beast and the demon bit the air where she had been a mere second before. Lurching to her feet she brought the Hiraikotsu forward and was forced to use it as a shield as the youkai attacked again. She caught her breath as a large gob of the demon's venomous saliva landed onto her thigh burning through the material.

'Huh?' she thought, wincing from the sudden pain. 'Just what kind of youkai is this thing? My demonslayer outfit repels most venoms and poisons, but this stuff is burning through my clothes as if it was made of simple tissue.' She pondered as she found an opening to use her weapon and hurled it towards the beast. She ignored the growing pain, focusing all her attention on the lanky dark brown furred creature before her. The creature dodged the attack and heaved itself at Sango who did not have the Hiraikotsu to shield herself. With practiced dexterity, Sango unsheathed her sword and swiped at the yokai as she jumped over the creature, avoiding the beast's assault. The sword contacted flesh and sliced through the demon's shoulder blade, rendering the left forearm useless.

The demon roared in surprise and pain. It turned to face her, enraged beyond any type of reasoning that the creature might have possessed and launched itself again at Sango. The Hiraikotsu that she had launched mere seconds earlier returned to her grasp and she used the weapon like an axe swinging at the youkai in rapid repetition. Using it's remaining working claws and long slime coated teeth set in a large canine-ish mouth the demon pressed in for the attack, rage and pain canceling out any shred of preservation that it might have had. Varying lunging with the sword and swinging with the Hiraikotsu, Sango connected with the beast's head and an audible crack resounded through the forest. The creature collapsed onto the ground convulsing, as it's brains visibly pulsed from the gash in it's head. The demon was soon still.

Standing above the dead youkai's body, Sango studied the creature as she absently grabbed for a small packet of basic medicinal supplies that she had hidden within her armor. She felt oddly euphoric examining the strange beast. The adrenaline coursing through her body revitalized her. She crouched down to get a closer look at the dead yokai wincing from the pain coming from the acid burn on her thigh. She opened the packet and grabbed a small wad of gauze hidden inside. She wanted to examine the body further but the pain in her leg was increasing. Sango knew from experience that the acid would continue to burn until washed off. She rose and looked around the surrounding area to get her bearings.

It was then she realized she was lost. She had been traveling for days, deep in her own pain and sad thoughts and did not think to memorize her surroundings. Breathing deeply to ward off the small lump of panic that had formed in the pit of her stomach, she closed her eyes and tried to remember any clues to her present location. There was none. Sighing, she opened her eyes and caught a faint wisp of the scent of water.

A small smile of relief settled on her face. Without looking back, she started to walk with a slight bit of difficulty towards the direction where the soothing smell of fresh water wafted.

It took her some time to reach the source of the water scent. It was a small brook of water only a couple of yards wide and only a couple of feet deep at the center. Sango released her weapon and carefully placed it in a dry place close enough to the stream should she need it and proceeded to undress from the bottom down. She kneeled down and dipped the wad of gauze in her hand into the water. Gingerly she cleaned the area around the acid burn, wincing as the cool water made the burning sensation increase for a moment.

'This will not do.' She thought and rose. Sango removed the rest of her clothing and stepped into the stream. She crouched down into the water as far as she could so that the gently flowing stream could wash the burn more thoroughly. She closed her eyes as the water cleansed the wound making the pain diminish.

As the pain flowed away with the current, her thoughts returned to the reason why she was out there alone. Her eyes misted as her memories came crashing back to her.

"Miroku, why?" She whispered to the air, knowing that no answer would be forthcoming from the bubbling sounds of the stream.

Memories of Miroku filled her head. Visions of Miroku smiling at her. Memories of Miroku's willingness to comfort her when she needed comforting by someone other than Kagome; Miroku proclaiming his "love" for her and that once they had defeated Naraku, Miroku wanting to have a life with her. Memories of Miroku looking at her with those yearning intense deep blue eyes that she could become lost in if she had let herself. She never allowed herself to be swept away by those eyes. That had been the "problem". He had grown tired of her violent rejections of his advances. Eventually he had stopped attempting to grab her intimate body parts. Way deep down inside she had enjoyed his "misplaced" attentions. She had realized this and after talking with Kagome, had decided to take their relationship a step further.

Still in the stream, she wiped away the tears that fell steadily down her face stinging scratches that she had not know she received in her battle with the demon. She hugged herself as her eyes unfocused and her attention turned inward toward unwelcome memories of that day.

Sango and the gang had to pause in their search for Naraku and the remaining shards of the Shikon jewel. Kirara had sustained an injury during the last battle they had with Naraku. She worried for Kirara, they all did. Even Inuyasha, although he had trouble showing it. The very fact that he had not put up too much of a fight when Kaede had told them that Kirara needed time to heal, was all the proof Sango needed. While they waited for Kirara to get better, Kagome had pulled Sango off to the side and in an attempt to take Sango's mind away from her worry for her dear friend, Kagome asked Sango about Sango's feelings for Miroku. Kagome was always fishing for information. It was some weird fascination for Kagome, Sango thought to herself. After talking with Kagome, Sango relented to her feelings and in an uncharacteristic, decision, decided that she wanted to take her relationship with Miroku further.

She had felt giddy, almost breathless with anticipation. She wondered if this is what a woman might feel on her wedding night. She was going to tell Miroku that she wanted to take the relationship further. She was humming to herself as she searched for Miroku.

Turning a corner she stopped, stunned. Ahead of her was Miroku kissing another woman! She held her breath and blinked, hoping that her eyes had been playing a cruel trick on her. She stood rooted to the spot as she watched Miroku escort the woman into a building. Sango was beyond stunned. She stood for what felt like eons in the same spot that she had been.

'Hadn't he said he loved her on numerous occasions? Didn't he proclaim that they would have a life together once this mess with Naraku had been concluded? How could he do this!' She thought as anger infused her. She began walking towards the entrance that Miroku had entered. Rage inflamed every cell in her body.

"Lecherous monk! When I get through with you, Miroku, you'll wish that wind scar of yours would open up and swallow you in!" Sango muttered.

She had been just about to enter the residence, when she heard what sounded like moaning from a man and a woman. Her mouth formed a small 'O" and her face infused with blood as she realized what those sounds must mean. A moment later, she heard Miroku calling out the woman's name. She took a couple of steps back. The blood that had infused her face moments before left.

With a will of it's own, her body moved toward the sounds and into the house. Inside herself she screamed over and over. She wanted to run away from that place, but her body refused to do what the mind and the heart demanded. She continued forward toward the entrance of the room where the sounds were coming from.

'NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! I don't want to do this! I don't want to know!' She screamed silently begging her body to stop.

She watched her hand reach to open the partition into the bedroom. Her eyes fell upon the bodies entangled on the sleeping platform. She stood there and watched as Miroku thrust with wild abandon against the enthusiastic woman beneath him.

"Miroku…" Sango whispered as tears flooded her eyes and down her face.

The rutting couple paused and Miroku looked toward Sango in the doorway. His eyes had been glazed with passion and then shock, as they comprehended the devastated woman before him.

Sango turned and ran. She heard Miroku call her name, and she ran faster.

She tried to recall what had happened after that incident. Everything was hazy. She remembered Kagome trying to talk to her, and Sango snapping at Kagome telling Kagome to leave her alone and that she was going back to the Demonslayer's village. Sango could not wait for Kirara to get better. She just wanted to leave. She had to get away from Miroku as fast as she could. She remembered running until she could not run anymore, and then walking as fast as her legs would take her.

'That had been days ago and I don't remember which direction I took.' She thought to herself as she leaned back and let the stream wash her hair and face. She lifted her head out of the water and looked for the position of the sun hoping to find some clue to her location.

'Well, the sun is in that direction, which means the opposite direction should be north at this time of day, but north where?' she thought. 'I haven't been lost since I was a small girl.' She looked down at her legs shimmering in the water. "Hummm, the burn doesn't look too bad. Hopefully, the water washed out any poison." She murmured to herself.

End of Chapter One.

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Is this better? (Thank you birchbud!)