Title: Lost and Found

Author: Priestess Skye

Rating: G

Genre: General

Pairing: Sango, Inu/Sango platonic

Word Count: 671

Canon/AU: Canon

Prompt: Odd Gift

Frowning, Sango stared at her shattered weapon, the large bone splintered into a thousand pieces, if not more. Bending down, she reached for the broken leather strap, rubbing it between her thumb and forefinger and enjoying the familiarity of it for one final time. It was strange, seeing it in pieces, almost surreal. Her hiraikotsu was an extension of her, having spent countless hours training with it before she killed her first demon with it. It was supposed to be nearly indestructible she thought morosely. Nearly. Naraku's incarnation had managed to do what thousands of others couldn't and put a stop to it.

Rolling the small piece of leather into a ball, she tucked it into her waistband. A memento. It was small and completely useless, but she couldn't seem to let go.

She didn't want to let go of it.

Unaware of the tear rolling down her cheek Sango stood and forced a smile as she turned to face her traveling companions. "We certainly did a lot of damage to him," she stated, looking around at the carnage surrounding them. "It's too bad he managed to escape." Holding a hand up she stopped Kagome's descent, knowing her friend only meant well, but she didn't really need it.

It was only a weapon.

And a gift from her father, she thought later when she separated herself from the group. Kagome had been sympathetic, and Miroku was more than willing to provide a shoulder, should she need it, but really, she didn't want or need either. It was strange, when she thought about it, how dependent she's become on her weapon. She was trained to use others, and quite often relied on her sword. But it was different.

It was as if a piece of her was missing.

Looking at her reflection in the nearby tidal pool, she struggled to truly see who she was. For the first time since she found herself with this group, she was lost. Slapping her hand in the water, she watched as the ripples wiped her image away. "This is stupid," she told herself before turning on her heel.

She was upset over a simple object. It wasn't as if it couldn't be replaced. She had the equipment she would need back in her village.

"Quit your moping," Inuyasha ordered as he approached her, having followed her away from the others. "It's not as if it's the end of the world."

"No, it's not." Though she smiled as his hand brushed over the hilt of Tessaiga. Of all her friends he was the only one who could truly understand her attachment.

"Here." He extended his arm, his hand fisted around a tiny object. Reaching out, Sango lifted the small, white object when he unfurled his fingers.

"What is it?" she asked, holding it up in the waning sunlight.

"Keh, what does it look like."

Recognizing the bit of blood at the root, she knew it could only be one thing. Nauseated and shocked, she dropped it to the ground.

"Hey! Don't lose that, it's not as if I give everybody one of those things. And it could cause a lot of trouble if somebody else got a hold of it."

Nearly laughing at his scowl, she reached down and picked the item up, closing it in her fist tightly. "What would I do with your fang?" she asked, perplexed at his choice of gifts.

"Whatever you want," he brushed the question aside before turning his back and walked away.

Looking down at the fang, she frowned.

Inuyasha stopped on the edge of the clearing and turned his head slightly to the side. His eyes met her own. Confident. Intelligent. Sly. They matched his demeanor completely. "Maybe you could take it to Totosai," he hinted. "He would know what to do with it."

'Totosai…'

Startled, she felt the brush of soft fur against her legs and looked down to see Kirara sitting there, her two tails flicking back and forth in the wind.

'Totosai…'

"Thank you, Inuyasha."