It's been awhile since I've written a new story for the InuYasha fandom. Good to be back! I was watching the InuYasha: The Final Act dub and this story began to form. I had forgotten how much I loved Sango as a character. Her love for both her brother and Miroku is what fueled this story. Please enjoy.

Also, if you haven't guessed, the title of the story is taken from the Healing Song from Tangled. I absolutely love that movie and the line really fits with how I envision this story going. Hope you enjoy!

Prologue

Silent sobs racked her body while the others slept in the still night. Though the only way to tell time was to count the sunrises and sunsets, Sango could tell that it had been months, months since she joined this quest led by half-demon InuYasha, months since her brother had slaughtered the team sent to exterminate a demon spider, months since she had regained consciousness in the lord's residence only to learn that her entire village had been wiped out by a hoard of demons, months since she had resolved to assist in killing the demon responsible for all the suffering in her life. After months, she taught that she had finally begun to heal, but, clearly, even tough demon slayers such as herself needed more time.

What saddened her most was that, with each passing day, it always seemed that they were no closer to putting an end to Naraku than they were the day before. It was frustrating, to say the least, especially now that Kohaku had regained his former memories.

So as not to wake the others in their group, Sango detached herself from the sleeping bag she had borrowed from Kagome (really, they had these in her world? Not only were they comfortable, but they trapped heat too. It was truly amazing.) and walked a short distance away. When Sango was sure that she was far enough away, she sat down, bringing her knees to her chest. Setting her forehead down to touch her knees, she let the silent sobs turn to tears. When she had lived in the village, Sango had been known for her merciless demeanor during demon slaying assignments. Of course, a demon slayer needed to be merciless, but, because Sango was the best of the female demon slayers, she was often called to complete the assignments and villagers thought, because she wasn't a man, that she would be weak. Could they be more wrong? Sango rarely showed times of weakness…other than these times when memories of home and of family would come back to her.

A hand rested gently on her shoulder, snapping her from her own thoughts and memories. With a swish of robes, he took a seat beside her just as quietly as he'd appeared. Quickly, swiping her tears away and thankful for the night's cover, Sango spoke softly, "You should be sleeping."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Sango. I would not be able to sleep knowing that you're feeling sad."

"How did you know, Miroku? I was certain that I was quiet enough. Even InuYasha and Shippo did not wake."

The monk smiled a small smile. "Guess I'm used to sleeping a little on edge. I suppose we all are by now, but InuYasha and Shippo, well, I think they have other problems to worry about, you know? Besides, I heard a change in your breathing. It was steady and then it became ragged. Hearing that I knew that, something wasn't quite right. That's why I followed you, Sango." Shifting slightly, Miroku noticed that Sango had grown silent once again. "Of course, if you would rather be alone, I could…"

Miroku had made to stand, but Sango, with speed and precision honed from her many years as a demon slayer, gripped his arm. "No, please stay," she whispered, her voice slightly broken with emotion.

A silence again fell between the two. Neither knew what to say to the other; they just enjoyed the company.

"It's okay to cry, Sango. You know that right?" Miroku heard the girl beside him draw in a breath, probably ready to tell him how crying was weak. "Hear me out, okay? When you cry, it means that you remember. Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past. You must fight just to keep them alive."

Sango was stunned. She had always believed that showing tears was something done only by those who were weak and, in her line of work, weak was not good, being weak would get even the most experienced demon slayer seriously injured or even killed. Swiping the sleeve of her clothes (?) across her eyes one final time, Sango knew that the episode had passed. "Thank you, Miroku. I feel much better now. No more tears…at least, not for another while," she amended with a small smile.

Though all had returned to normal, neither was quite ready to return to the campsite and sleep just yet. Again, Miroku broke the silence a few moments later.

"If given the chance, would you ever go back in time to when everything was normal for you, Sango? To your life before Kohaku's death and the disaster that took place in your home village?" This was an idea that Miroku had been musing for quite some time, wondering the answer but unsure how to ask the question or when.

"What are you saying, Miroku? Of course I would!" Sango replied, not giving much thought to her answer.

Still unsatisfied, Miroku amended his original question. "What if, to receive this opportunity, the cost was that everyone you had met and everything you had experienced ever since…well, it'd be as if it never existed in the first place. Would you still take it?"

This time, Sango was not so quick to speak up and deliver an answer. The decision was hard. Of course, she desperately messed her village, her father, and her brother, but would that outweigh the possibility of never having met Miroku and the others. "I…I dunno, Miroku," she finally answered, still hesitant. She looked down, suddenly nervous. "I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but…I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, Sango. I would never have asked if I didn't want to hear the truth." Miroku made to stand up and extended a hand down to help Sango up. "Why don't we get back to the campsite and get some sleep? We'll need it tomorrow. Kagome will be back from her time period and you know that InuYasha will want to continue the journey. Patience is definitely not his strong suit."

Sango allowed Miroku to help her up and followed him as he led the way to their campsite a short distance back the way they had come. In the dark, she could barely see him, his dark robes blending in with the night around him, but she followed as closely behind him as she dared. As they walked at a slightly-slower pace than normal, Sango's thoughts continued to ponder the questions Miroku had just asked her. She wanted desperately to give him a straight answer, but that seemed impossible. Part of her was determined to continue fighting, to remain strong and defeat the demon responsible for everything that had happened, but, additionally, part of her had succumbed to the torment Naraku had caused. This part of her was one that she tried to keep locked away, but it just always seemed to be there, waiting just beneath the surface, ready to resurface without the slightest notice.

Kagome had once told Sango that people in her time say that bad things always happen for a reason. Sango never did understand this. What reason could there be for the demise of her entire clan, her family?

Though, as she thought about these questions, she really truly began to wonder about Miroku's second question. Since this disaster had occurred, Miroku had been the light in her dark world. As strange as it seemed, Sango really had to wonder where she might have been if she'd never met Miroku. Would she have been driven to insanity by the pain?

Somewhere, deep in the dark recesses of her own mind, Sango debated that question. Would I really be willing to just forget everyone I've met and everything we've experienced together since just for a chance to live in my village and among my fellow demon slayers once again?

Well, surely a question to think about. Originally, this chapter was going to continue and be longer, but this prologue ended up being longer than I expected. That's why it's become the "prologue" instead of chapter 1.

Hope you enjoyed and I look forward to writing more of this story for you all in the future.

Posted: October 3, 2013