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"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way."

~Richard M. Nixon

The day was peaceful. The spring weather was warm and sunny without a cloud in sight. There was a slight breeze that rustled the leaves of trees and the only unnatural sound that could be heard was that of a shokujo staff and quiet chattering amongst companions that were comfortable speking with each other.

Coming along the path ahead of the others was a small kitsune kit, and sticking close to him was a small nekomata. Not too far behind them a young boy walked with a kusarigama in his hand, keeping a close eye on them. He'd been put in charge of making sure the kitsune was safe, and for that he was grateful. He hated not having something to do.

Behind the younger trio came a couple, one dark haired and the other with hair the color of bright moonlight. A pair of dog ears twitched atop the boy's head, and he impatiently growled something to the raven-haired woman beside him. She smiled soothingly, reassuringly touching his arm and making him blush as he ripped back and snapped at her. She huffed and gave him a warning look before crossing her arms and refusing to acknowledge his demands.

Finally, following the hanyou and miko, came another couple, though this one was silent and content to enjoy said silence. The rings on the houshi's shokujo staff made a soft sound with every step, and the taijiya listened to the sound with a slight smile on her face, looking completely content for the first time since the destruction of her village.

"It's a wonderful day today. What do you think, Sango?"

Sango jumped in surprise at the sudden sound of his voice. "It's a beautiful day," she agreed, casting him a smile that soon vanished when the sound of Kagome's yelling filled the air. "I hope Kagome-chan is alright, though. I think Inuyasha's onto her, she has a few bruises and bumps she refuses to tell him about."

The hanyou plummetted to the ground.

"I do wish she would be kind to Inuyasha," Miroku admitted, "He is merely worried about her health."

"I know," Sango sighed, nodding. They watched in companionable silence as Inuyasha shot to his feet, barked a furious insult into Kagome's face, then bound off to see what was up ahead. "Give him a few seconds, he'll be back." He chuckled and she ended up joining in quietly. Trust those two to end up with such troubles.

"You must be happy," Miroku said, offering an arm to her. She accepted, and he patted her hand with a playful smile as his staff was shifted to the crook of his arm. "Your brother has been returned, after all."

"I am," Sango admitted. She tilted her head to look up at the sky. "All that remains now is to destroy Naraku, avenge my friends and family, and get rid of your Kazanna." She touched the beads and gauntlet that sealed the deadly vortex away, then frowned. Was that a slight tug she felt...?

Cursing under his breath, Miroku moved her hand away with the one that wasn't the holder of a deadly weapon. Sango's jaw dropped. It was! "Houshi-sama-"

He slapped a hand over her mouth, hissing, "Don't! I don't want to trouble anyone else's mind."

She pried his hand away from her lips, glaring at him now. "Houshi-sama!" she breathed, "The Kazanna...it's...why didn't you tell us?" Her eyes gazed sorrowfully at him and Miroku's own flickered with guilt.

"You were happy," he admitted, "I did not want to interrupt that happiness and trouble your mind with the issue." She demanded to know how long it had been going on and he murmured, "Several days before Kohaku's ordeal."

"Houshi-sama!" she shrieked, and he shushed her when Kagome glanced back at them with a frown on her face before shrugging and continuing onward, no doubt believing that he had groped her again. Lowering her voice, Sango pleaded, "Tell the others so we can go after Naraku! Even Inuyasha will look harder than he already is. Please, Houshi-sama." She gently grasped his covered hand, ignoring his protest as she pressed it to her cheek in a surprising show of affection.

His eyes softened and he smoothed a thumb across her cheek as he murmured, "Sango, we are already searching hard for Naraku, and we are unable to defeat him at the moment-"

"You promised me," Sango reminded, "After Naraku's death. We would be married. You promised. Don't give up on that now. We're so close..."

He examined her gaze, then sighed softly, leaning in to suddenly press a kiss to her forehead. Sango let him, then pulled back to smile faintly at him. "I will tell Inuyasha and Kagome-sama as soon as Inuyasha returns," he swore. "I do believe it to be best that we leave Shippo out of it, however."

"We can do that," Sango agreed eagerly, relieved. He offered her his arm again and she took it once more, this time anxiously leaning into his side as Inuyasha suddenly returned. He spoke urgently to Kagome about something or another, ears flattened, and Miroku and Sango started forward at once to speak with them.

Hiding her fear from Miroku, Sango shoved a smile onto her face forcefully.

Time was running out.

And she decided then and there where she'd be if it did.

A/N

Surprise...another fanfiction. XD This one will be short. I estimate about...maybe five to ten chapters at the most? I hope you enjoyed. XD Thanks for reading!