AUTHOR'S NOTES: Just to let everybody know, this is an AU, and it's also a Sango/Miroku—they will be the main pairing for the story, although there will be some minor Inuyasha/Kagome.

DISCLAIMER: Well, I do own some Inuyasha… as in some subs and mangas. But not the actual series. I think Rumiko Takahashi owns that.

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Chapter One: The Choosing

I've been watching you from a distance
The distance sees through your disguise
All I want from you is your hurting
I want to heal you
I want to save you from the dark

- Evanescence, "Give Unto Me"

"… what the hell is that?"

Sango sent a death-glare toward her younger brother, who was staring at disgust at the small, run-down apartment they stood in front of, the open door revealing the cramped living room. The eleven-year-old's face was wide with disgust, his freckled nose wrinkled as if to say, "Eww…"

"Stop that," she hissed at him, though in truth she was thinking the exact same thing. "Dad's right behind us."

"But still," Kohaku whispered back. "Look at it. It's… so small. The living room is like the size of our old bathroom."

Sango glanced nervously back at her father, who had just pulled exited from the elevator down the hall. "So," he said, walking up to his children and putting his arms around them, "how do you like it?"

Both Sango and Kohaku looked rather uncomfortable. Their father always been a hands-off sort of man, strict and never too fond of public affection, but ever since their mother had died, it was like he'd felt it was his responsibility to take her place.

"It's fine, Dad," Sango offered, but her voice sounded a bit weak. "I'm sure it will be great."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," he agreed, but his voice came out just a little too bright, as if he were trying to force himself to sound so cheerful. "It is. Just wait until you see the rest of the rooms."

The living room was bad enough—Sango didn't have much of a desire to see the rest of the household. But she just feigned a smile, nudging Kohaku to do the same, and followed her father inside the miniscule apartment.

Up close, the living room was even more awful looking. The carpet was a bright, puke orange color, and she could make out the faint trace of stains, faded with age but still leaving their mark. The wallpaper mismatched horribly with the carpet, pinstriped yellow and blue. The expensive furnishings from their previous home—the ones they hadn't sold, anyway—didn't fit at all. It was like some alternate universe that had mixed in with Sango's old life, reminding her of everything she'd left behind.

"Don't say anything," she muttered to Kohaku as she brushed by him to look down the hallway. Judging from the look on the boy's face, he was too stunned to say anything.

"Sango, where are you off to?"

Great. Her father. She really didn't want to have to keep this charade up; it had been bad enough on the drive there. "I'm just checking out my room, Dad," she said, turning and giving him a forced smile. "I'll be right back."

Before he could make some terrible suggestion like they should all check it out together, Sango bolted down the hallway—about six quick steps, actually, the hallway wasn't very long—and flung open the door to her room, shutting it behind her.

The sight was no better than the living room. The carpet was the same hideous orange, the walls a bright, putrid pink. The one window looked as if it was rusted shut, and accompanied by the lack of space, it felt like a prison cell.

She maneuvered her way around the dresser that obstructed her way to her bed, then plopped down on the quilt—it was scratchy and felt fake, the kind of quilt you found at a hotel, cheap and uncomfortable. It was no shield for her stiff mattress. She'd had to leave her feathered quilt because it was too large for her new, single bed. Her queen bed couldn't fit in the room.

And they'd sold it off for money, anyway.

Three years ago, when Sango's mother had contracted cancer, their family had delved deep into their expenses to pay for the costs of treatment. They'd never been rich, exactly, but they had been well-off, something that had changed as their money slowly dwindled away and her father desperately searched for doctors around the globe that could save his wife. She'd had a rare form of liver cancer, discovered so late that it seemed impossible to save her. But her father hadn't taken no as an answer, working over-time to pay for the bills of the many hospitals and medications. They'd sustained her life for two and a half years, but three months ago, her mother had finally died.

After that, Sango began to notice bills that lay out on the table for months, never paid. Occasionally, someone would call, demanding to speak with her father, or leave angry messages on their answering machine about debts never repaid. Though her father tried to assure her nothing was wrong, she wasn't stupid. They were unable to afford their two cars and large house in the suburbs, despite her father's long hours of work.

So they'd moved, selling their house, car, and possessions, and they'd moved to Tokyo where her father's company had transferred him. Sango protested bitterly to this, but kept it to herself. She wasn't the best at socializing or making new friends—even the girls at her old school had never particularly been close to her; the most she'd ever gotten were some sympathetic looks or the constant comment of, "If you ever need a shoulder to cry on…"

Not that they had to worry. Sango hadn't cried in three years, not since she was thirteen and first heard about her mother's illness.

Something scraped against the door, as if it were feebly beating its hands against the wood. Sango opened the door and smiled as Kirara sidled through the door, purring against her mistress's leg. Sango laughed and scooped her up, sitting back down on the bed as she pet Kirara.

"So how do you like it here, hmm?" she asked.

Kirara blinked her wide, oddly-colored eyes.

"I'll take that as a no," Sango deciphered. "But I guess I can't blame you… so cramped and tight. And outside's disgusting, did you see? There's trash and smoke everywhere. But maybe it's just me. I've never like cities, anyway."

Red eyes blinked in agreement.

Had it been any other animal, Sango would have felt like an idiot speaking with it. But Kirara was different—it was like she understood, like she'd listened when no one else did.

"Hey, sis."

Sango glanced up to see Kohaku in the doorway. The look of shock had ebbed somewhat from his face, although his eyes were still slightly wide as if he was still suffering slightly.

"What?" she asked distantly, rubbing Kirara's fur lightly.

"Have you seen this place?" he whispered, giving a careful look down the hallway to see that their father wasn't around. "I mean, look at it. My room's the size of a closet."

She rolled her eyes. "Kohaku, if all you're going to do is whine, then shut up. I'm really not in the mood for it."

"But—"

"But nothing," she cut in. "There's nothing we can do about living here, so we're going to have to learn to deal with it, all right?"

He sighed sulkily, but nodded. "I know," he muttered, scuffing his shoes on the wooden floor. She patted at the spot beside her on the bed and he shuffled over, plopping down next to her. "I just miss our old home, that's all."

"Me too," she murmured softly, ruffling his hair. "God, me too."

This is the worst day of my life.

Sango immediately decided this as soon as she reached the building that was to be her new high school. She could tell immediately she didn't belong; clusters of girls stood together outside the large, two-story structure, gossiping and whispering excitedly about their summer. They all knew each other, laughing and hugging and giving compliments on others' tans.

She stood on the outside of all those groups of girls, so obviously alone it was almost painful. She tugged anxiously at her short green skirt, wishing her father could have at least found her a school without such a ridiculous school uniform. When she'd first been issued the skirt, she had thought they had given her a few sizes too small, but judging from the size of the other girls', it was just very, very short. She felt as if her underwear would peek out from behind it at any given moment.

She moved her hands off the hem of her skirt for a second to heft up her book bag and glance at her watch. The bell was supposed to ring soon, right? She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand there so… vulnerably. She felt like the whole world was just staring at her, waiting for her to make a move.

She glanced down at her watch. Two more minutes… not that bad. She could survive two more minutes, no problem.

A boy glanced her way, giving her a wink and a suggestive smile. Sango's face flushed bright pink and she stared intently at her shoes as if the secret to world peace was written there.

A minute and a half…

Her backpack slipped from her shoulder and fell to the sidewalk. A few heads glanced over at the noise it made. Sango blushed even darker and ducked her head, grabbing the backpack and standing up again. Her grip had gotten so tight on her backpack that her knuckles had turned white.

A minute…

She began to tug at her skirt again, certain that it was being blown up by the wind. Why was it none of the other girls were so self-conscious about the length of their skirts? Was she the only one that noticed they were nearing the waist line? Well, no, judging from the grins on all of the boys' faces.

Thirty seconds…

She glanced down at her watch again. Had it frozen or something? It was moving so slowly… that couldn't be normal time. Surely there was something wrong with it. She had bought it at one of those cheap junk shops, after all. It must have been malfunctioning.

The bell sounded shrilly, and to Sango's ears, it sounded more beautiful than a Mozart symphony. It rang! It had finally rung! Maybe there was a God, and he was listening to her prayers.

She shuffled into the building with the rest of the school, keeping her head down so as not to have to look at anyone. She rifled through her bag until she found her schedule. Locker number 3761, in the 300 wing. Glancing at her map, she saw she was only a corridor away.

Okay, I just have to get to my locker, make it to homeroom on time, and then get through the classes… and then I'm done…

For today, at least.

After a few wrong turns, she made it to her locker. Locker 3762's occupant was, at the moment, kicking his locker and cursing profusely. Locker 3760's occupant was currently making out with someone. Between them was her locker, in all of its old, rusty glory.

"Excuse me," she mumbled nervously as she squeezed in between the psychotic, raving boy and the two horny teenagers. She fiddled with the dial on her locker as she put in her combination and opened it. Only… it didn't open.

"Crap," she hissed.

The door was jammed.

She began to rattle it, hoping to somehow maneuver it out from its tight wedge, but nothing happened. She tried the combination again. And again. It didn't work.

Well, this was just great.

As the people on the left side of her shoulder were playing an intense game of tongue twister, Sango turned to the boy who was still kicking at his locker and swearing.

"Do you know how to open this?" she asked, as politely as possible.

Apparently, the politeness went unnoticed. "Shove it, bitch. If you haven't noticed, my locker isn't cooperating too well, either."

A snappy comeback made its way up to her mouth, but Sango held her tongue. She didn't want to get into a fight on the first day of school, especially not with one who looked as mentally unstable as that boy. So she settled for giving a loud, aggravated sigh before turning and heading toward where the map said the office was.

As soon as she had turned the corner and there was no one else around, Sango scowled furiously, clenching her fists at her sides. "Will nothing go my way?!" she fumed quietly. She had the strong urge to kick something, but there was nothing in sight but the wall, and she had a feeling the brick wouldn't feel too good against her feet.

"Be happy," a voice whispered in her ear, and Sango whipped around, her eyes widening. Who…?

There was no one there.

Okay, now I'm going insane. But she was certain she'd heard a boy's voice. And he'd been speaking to her, she was sure. She'd felt his breath on her cheek.

After darting her eyes to every inch of the hallway, Sango turned to keep walking. She'd imagined it, that was all. Sure, it was a rather weird thing to imagine, but there was no other explanation. It had to be from the lack of sleep.

After a few more strides, she calmed down somewhat, convinced that she was just nervous over school. But her composure was quickly broken when she felt a hand where it was not welcome… to put it simply, on her butt.

With a gasp of horror, she whirled to face the accuser, her hand raised to slap.

Again, there was no one.

I'm going crazy. What other person hallucinated about some boy whispering about happiness and then groping her butt? Maybe she should take a stop at the school counselor on her way to the office.

"And it was then, sir, I felt someone grab my ass, but when I turned around there was no one there."

…Or maybe not.

"Dammit, Miroku! This is the whole reason I didn't want you to come!"

Miroku grinned as he watched the girl walk down the hallway. Her eyes were darting to and fro warily, as if expecting someone to jump from a locker at any given moment and attack her.

"Reason?" Miroku repeated with raised eyebrows, though he kept watching the girl until she finally disappeared from view. "Clarify for me, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha scowled, folding his arms. "You know," he muttered. "Groping and stuff. I didn't think you'd stoop so low as to use the fact that no one could see you to grope some innocent girls."

"I did no such thing," Miroku defended. "All I did was encourage her. She looked rather angry, you know."

"Yeah," Inuyasha retorted, "and even angrier when you groped her!"

"I didn't grope her. I was just giving her a little pat of encouragement."

"On her butt?"

"Well… yes. But that's simply because it was the closest thing in range."

"Like hell," Inuyasha snorted. "But if you ever sneak up on Kagome like that, I'll kick your ass so bad you won't be able to wake up for the next week." He paused, then stood up higher in an attempt to look menacing. "You got that, monk?"

Miroku sighed. He was rather new at this… being a Beyond, that was. He had only recently been accepted as one to help Inuyasha with a problem that had been left behind far too long ago. Inuyasha had become a Beyond four months ago, although he hadn't been too happy about the rule that went along with the rite of passage: not only did being a Beyond mean completing the task assigned, but helping out a human being.

"Helping out a human?" Inuyasha had said. "Keh! Can't a human fucking handle itself?"

Although Miroku was fairly sure Inuyasha didn't mind his duty of a Beyond any longer. And that, in part, was due to Kagome Higurashi. Sure, he bitched about her, and called her rude, pushy, stubborn, and whiny. But the truth that Inuyasha just could not hide was the fact that he was utterly in love with her. He claimed he only stuck with her because of the rule, saying he would drop as soon as "this Beyond crap" was over for good. Miroku knew better, though. Inuyasha would stay a Beyond as long as it meant being with Kagome.

Miroku, however, had become a Beyond only days ago, and was still no closer to achieving his mission or helping out a person. With some convincing, he'd managed to get Inuyasha to bring him to Kagome Higurashi's high school—if he was going to "help out a human being", he figured he'd find himself a hot girl to help. And who better than a school girl, with their cute, blushing faces and short skirts? He knew what they were like; they would be absolutely enamored by him. What girl wouldn't want a rather attractive—if he did say so himself—man to protect and save them, even if he was dead?

The fact was, Miroku was hot, and something as small as death couldn't change that.

"Oy, Miroku! You listening to me?"

Inuyasha's voice was rather grating when he was annoyed—which was most of the time. "Yes, Inuyasha?" he asked with a sigh. Sometimes he wondered how he had become associated with the loud hanyou.

"Can we leave?" Inuyasha asked. "We've been here long enough! Haven't you found someone to stick to yet?"

He thought of the girl, with her wide brown eyes and lovely face. And, of course, her fine ass.

"Yes, Inuyasha," he replied, unable to remove the grin that spread across his face. "I believe I have."

It didn't make any sense.

Why didn't this make any sense? It was math. Math was logical and always made sense. It was always the same, no matter what—it didn't do any sneak attacks or curve balls like the rest of life. You figured out the problem, be it easy or hard, and the answer would always be the same.

That was why Sango liked math so much. It never changed.

But this just didn't make any sense!

Maybe pre-calculus was just a bit out of her league. She was only a sophomore, after all; the rest of her class contained either juniors or seniors. But she'd always been good at math, and she'd decided that since her social life was going to be dead this year, she'd at least take some classes where she'd learn something. And pre-calculus seemed promising.

But why didn't it make any sense?

She tried reading over the problem again, but that only increased the dull ache that had been pounding in her head for hours. In desperation, she flipped through her notebook to see if she'd written anything down that day that would help her. Like the last time she'd looked, nothing turned up.

Why did it have to be so freaking impossible?

Sango stood and slammed her book shut in frustration, pulling her legs from under the tiny desk. She banged her knee on the wood and winced. "This day is so shitty," she sighed miserably, rubbing her aching knee.

Kirara mewed half-heartedly from her position on Sango's bed, curled up, her tiny head buried in her fur.

Sango gave Kirara a quick pat, and then headed out of the door. She couldn't keep focusing on that homework—she'd slowly be driven insane if she did. She'd go grab herself something to eat and take a short break. Maybe the math would make some sense when she got back.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the living room was her father. He'd gotten back from work only an hour ago. His work shift was from eight in the morning to seven at night, a long, exhausting shift. Sango had avoided him so far, staying in her room to work on homework or doodle in her notebook. She felt a bit guilty, but she'd rather not have to deal with her father's questions about school.

Oh, it was great, Dad, she could imagine herself saying. I sat by myself during lunch today, I got lost twice, my locker was jammed, and, oh yeah, some phantom boy groped my butt today! Thanks for asking.

Sango swept past the couch where he sat, watching an old rerun on TV. She would just go past him and make it into the kitchen…

"So, Sango, how was school today?"

She didn't stop walking, but she knew she couldn't ignore him or he'd never stop asking. She was sure Kohaku (who was in his room playing Gameboy) had already been bombarded.

"It was okay," she replied as she finally made it into the kitchen and pulled out a few low-fat cookies.

"Okay?" he repeated. His tone was telling her to say more.

"Well, you know," she said with a shrug. "The school was pretty big, and there were a lot of people, so it was a bit hectic. But not too bad."

"That's good," he said amiably.

"Yeah."

She knew if she didn't make a quick escape he would continue his questioning. "Got to split, Dad," she told him as she began to fly toward her bedroom, "homework and all that. So I'll, uh, talk to you later."

Before he could answer, Sango made it to her bedroom and slammed the door shut, closing her eyes and leaning back against the door in relief. Phew…

She opened her eyes and blinked at what was in front of her.

Then blinked again.

And then she realized just what she was seeing and let out a shriek.

There was someone in her room.

AN: Confusing so far? Don't worry, I'll explain more next chapter, especially regarding Inuyasha and Miroku. And yes, Kagome will be appearing next chapter.