The authenticity of my descriptions of the village and market are limited by my knowledge and built on imagination.

I don't own Inuyasha.

Market Day

Miroku smoothed down his robes and patted his hair, making sure it was neat. He slipped his hand in his pocket and double checked that the money was safe. He grabbed his Shakujou from where it was leaning on the wall of the hut.

Miroku looked at the list in his hand again. They had returned to Kaede's village the previous night, since Kagome had begged Inuyasha to let her go to the other side of the Well. Inuyasha had obviously refused at first, a stubborn scowl on his face. But once she told him that it was for her little brother's birthday, he began softening. He finally agreed when she told him that Souta had requested that she bring him along to join the celebrations as well. Visibly touched by the little boy's gesture, Inuyasha hadn't complained a single time during the journey back. Sango and Shippou were also happy for the respite and welcomed the trip back. Now that they were there, and Miroku had found himself with time on his hands, he had asked Kaede the previous night whether she required any assistance. After a little hesitation, she had told him that she was running low on many supplies, a large portion of which she used in mixing remedies. He had immediately volunteered to get her what she needed from a village roughly five miles away, which he knew had a large and thriving market.

"Well Kaede-sama, I think I'll be on my way then. Are you sure everything is on the list?"

The old miko got up and skimmed the list again. "Ah!" she exclaimed. "I forgot the salt! Of all the things to slip my mind...anyway, let me just add it there. Now, are you sure you have enough money? It's a substantial number of items."

"Do not worry, Kaede-same. You have given me an adequate sum. And I have my own small reserve of coins should anything happen. Rest assured all will be well."

"Well, I thank you again for doing this for an old lady, Houshi-sama. May the kami keep you safe on your journey." She gave the monk a warm look.

Miroku smiled at Kaede and with a small wave, stepped out of the hut and squinted in the sunlight. Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the morning, he started walking along the trail that led outside the village. After a few paces, he stopped. Something didn't feel quite right. He wondered what it was...he had everything he needed for the trip, it wasn't like he was really needed in the village so he had no obligations, and there was no evil aura anywhere near as far as he could tell...what was it?

He stopped walking and listened...he could hear the wind rustling in the leaves of the trees and he could hear a few birds chirping. There was a stillness and peace to the air around him. And suddenly he realized that was precisely what was bothering him. That was what seemed out of place: after nearly two years of travelling with Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Shippou and Kirara, he had gotten used to incessant chatter and banter on the road. He was used to Inuyasha and Kagome arguing, Inuyasha yelling at Shippou, Kagome and Sango gossiping, needling Inuyasha, teasing the girls and everything that a group of friends would do together. He now associated travel with a constant background score of either talking or laughing or bickering. Even when they weren't talking to each other, there was always the sound of their footfalls and the comforting feel of their presence. Walking alone felt strange, and odd.

Miroku had never known that silence could be so loud. All by himself, Miroku actually felt discomfited on the road. He continued walking down the trail, chiding himself for such stupid feelings and yet, could not shake off the unpleasant niggling at the back of his mind.

As he approached the edge of the village, he heard a humming in a very familiar voice. By a clump of trees, he could see the edge of Hiraikotsu. Smiling broadly, he immediately turned in that direction and walked briskly.

Sango sat beneath a tree, completely relaxed. Her hair was loose, her eyes were shut and a small smile was on her face. Miroku's expression softened; she was beautiful.

As she heard Miroku's approaching footsteps and the soft tinkle of his Shakoujou rings, she opened her eyes and looked up with a smile. She could hardly believe that a few months ago, Miroku had practically proposed to her! She took in his handsome face, lean frame and easy grace. She was in love with him. Who would have thought!

"Good morning, Houshi-sama." she greeted.

"It certainly is, Sango. May I just say that you look particularly lovely today?" he replied in liquid tones, turning up the wattage on his smile.

"Houshi-sama! I wish you wouldn't tease so much!" she pretended to frown at him.

"Ah, whoever said anything about teasing?" smiled Miroku with an eloquent shrug of his shoulders, his eyes twinkling.

"Alright, alright, enough... Where are you going?"

"To the market in the next village. Kaede-sama needs some things."

"Oh? It's a very nice thing that you're doing for her!" Sango gave him an appreciative smile.

"Nonsense. The village isn't far off at all and you know how much I enjoy bargaining!"

She laughed, "Very true. Have you been to that market before?"

He thought about it and replied, "Yes, once. It's nice. It's not the biggest around, but it's got everything that one might need and most everything that one might want! I like going to markets...aside from the bargaining, you meet so many people and see so many things! It's an experience by itself."

Sango smiled wistfully and said, "It sounds exciting."

"Why, Sango," asked Miroku curiously, "Have you never been to a market before?"

"Not really." She shrugged in reply. "Peddlers would come to our village when I was growing up and mother would usually find what she needed then. If there was anything else, father or one of my uncles was always going from village to village, and they would buy commodities there. And anyway, I was always training." Her eyes grew far away as she spoke of her family and her village.

"You've never been to a market!" Miroku's eyebrows shot up. "You know what? You should come with me! Like I said, it's not far away at all! You'll have fun, I promise!"

"Come with you?" laughed Sango. "What would I do at the market?"

"Do? By the Buddha...Sango, you have to come with me!"

Miroku gave her a pleading look and Sango relented.

"Okay, fine. I'll come with you."

She stood up, tied her hair in a low pony tail with a piece of ribbon, straightened her kimono and bent again to pick up Hiraikotsu. She strapped it on her back and turned to Miroku, "How do I look?"

"Ravishing," he assured her with a happy smile. He gestured towards the trail and gave Sango a small bow as she walked past him.

Miroku and Sango made their way out of the village, their talking interspersed at fairly regular intervals with the sound Sango whacking Miroku on the head.

After about an hour, they reached the village. They walked through it, smiling at the many gap-toothed children running about. They passed several huts, gardens, wells, tea shops and rest houses.

"Houshi-sama, where's the market?" asked Sango confusedly.

"Patience, dear Sango. We'll come to it."

They walked in comfortable silence for a while and then Sango found herself asking again,

"So what exactly does this market look like?"

"A market," said Miroku turning a bend in the road, "looks like this."

And with a sweep of his hand, he indicated a scene in front of Sango which she could only bring herself to describe as...bustling.

There were dozens and dozens of vendors, each in his a little stall selling nearly every conceivable thing. The bright colours of fruits winked at her from carts, vying for attention next to piles of fresh vegetables. Knots of garlic swung from the beams of some carts and she could see arrays of different kinds of pickled vegetables swimming in their marinades in little glass jars. There were several stalls selling all kinds of herbs, both dried and fresh. The late morning sun glinted off the metal edges of knives of all sizes stacked in a corner. Utensils were stacked one on top of another; Sango had never seen so many kinds of utensils, each for making a different kind of dish. Different kinds of aromas wafted by them; Sango smelt noodles, broth, soy, vegetables, fish and chicken as her stomach gave a small rumble.
There were also stalls in another corner of the market with people showcasing bolts of cloth in all possible colours of the rainbow. Each bolt of cloth jostled for space next to another, and Sango marvelled at the patterns and types of cloth. There were also sewing kits, with needles and thread and anything else a housewife darning her husband's kosode might need.

There were nearly as many customers as vendors, each haggling over a different good, and the vendors who weren't occupied with customers extolled the quality and excellence of their goods over the others'.

"Well?" asked Miroku, his eyes twinkling.

A slow, delighted smile spread over Sango's face and she exclaimed, "I love it!"

Miroku fished the list out of his pocket and said "Let's go. Stay close though."

Nodding, Sango followed him and watched him observe all the vendors in an appraising manner. She hid a smile as she saw him greet each vendor genially and chat about the most incongruous of things. He chose his purchases very carefully and bargained over the prices very smoothly. He wore even the toughest of the vendors down with his charming smiles, shining eyes and glib talk. And so, things gradually began to get crossed off Kaede's list.

When Miroku had just a few things left, Sango told him she wanted to explore the market some more. He nodded, reminded her to be careful and told her where to meet him once she was done. Sango looked through all the wares they had on sale, and felt herself getting drawn towards the corner of the market with all the cloth. At the biggest stall, she noticed a young woman, her mother, and her grandmother comparing the different kinds of cloth with expert eyes and talking about which would be best to make a new kimono. Although she did not generally eavesdrop on anybody, Sango looked elsewhere but kept her ear trained on the trio of women. From what she could discern, the young woman was getting married and was picking cloth for a new set of kimono. They exclaimed over the patterns, bickered over which coloured fabric to pick as an obi, and deliberated over final choices. The young woman picked two fabrics in the end and her mother told her to go get the money from her father. The grandmother cracked a joke over how much money was being spent and they all giggled. The young woman came hurrying back, jingling coins held tightly in her hand. Once everything was paid for, she clutched her purchase gleefully and they were off, chattering about other wedding arrangements.

When they left, Sango sagged against a wall and sighed. She felt a deep pang within her, watching and listening to that family. Images of her own mother and father flashed through her mind. All she had ever felt like all her life was a fighter- a Taijiya. She loved being a fighter, but she couldn't help but feel she had never gotten the opportunity to just be an excited girl like the one at the stall. She wondered if she would ever get to feel that way. Suddenly, feeling sick to the stomach and unable to stand by those stalls anymore, she all but ran to Miroku's side.

He was just about done making his purchases and when Miroku turned to her, his smile faded and teasing words died on his lips. His brows knit together in concern and he asked immediately, "Sango, are you alright?"

Sango nodded vigorously and took a deep breath. "Fine...I'm fine." She said, taking more deep, calming breaths.

Miroku looked at her suspiciously and decided that perhaps Sango had had enough of market day for some time. He turned to the shop keeper briskly and said coaxingly, "Come now, Shiro-sama. Are really telling me that you can't do any better than this?"

The old and gruff looking vendor mumbled something and shrugged his shoulders. Miroku looked at him and raised his eyebrows. Finally, he breathed out heavily and nodded and began tying together the herbs that Miroku had chosen. Smiling broadly, Miroku put it in a little cloth bag that he had brought along with him, paid Shiro and said "Thank you, Shiro-sama. It's a pleasure doing business with you." The vendor narrowed his eyes at Miroku, who continued smiling as though they were the best of friends. After a moment, Shiro relented, the ends of his mouth quirking up in a smile. Miroku clapped him on the shoulder and turned to Sango again.

"Shall we get some lunch?"

"Huh?" Sango seemed distracted and Miroku gently steered her to a less crowded spot. "Sango, you sure you're alright?"

"I-I'm fine. Lunch...yes. I mean, let's have lunch. I'm hungry."

"Alright..." Miroku still looking unconvinced. "Why don't you go sit by the pond we saw just before the market? We can eat there. You go get comfortable under a tree or something, and I'll bring the food. Is a little of everything that smells good okay?"

Sango nodded and made her way to the pond. She sat down under a shady tree and tried to free her mind of gloomy thoughts. She had been having such a nice time, and she felt bad ruining it all. She concentrated on the tranquility and simple beauty of the little pond in front of her, and then closed her eyes wearily.

At the food stands, Miroku made his choices quickly and did not linger. He paid for and collected the food and hastened towards the pond. He stopped short of Sango when he reached because of her rather defeated posture. He frowned, wondering what had caused her mood to sour to such an extent. He approached her gently and set the food down.

Sango opened her eyes and saw Miroku smiling softly at her. She straightened and saw all the food in front of her. Her eyes widened.

"All this for me?" she asked.

"Heavens no! A man has to eat too, you know!"

"Oh," Sango giggled a little sheepishly and sent an apologetic smile his way.

Miroku sat down and as they began to eat, Sango felt herself calm down. Miroku's easy and light banter kept her mind off thoughts that made her feel sad and alone. His presence there was a solid one and she concentrated on him, and what he said. By the time they were nearly done, Sango felt quite normal again; her smile brightened and her laughter rang a little louder.

Miroku for his part was glad that she seemed herself again. It hurt him to see her in pain and he had deliberately kept the talk light hearted. He urged her to eat more and showed her all his purchases for Kaede. She sniffed the herbs and spices curiously and complimented Miroku on his wondrous abilities at bargaining.

After a few moments of silence, Miroku ventured, "So Sango...how was your first ever trip to the market?"

"It was actually very enjoyable, Houshi-sama. Thank you for bringing me along. You've been very kind."

"Oh, it's not worthy of thanks. Your company has made this trip all the more pleasant. By the way, what were you looking at on your own?"

"Oh...nothing, really... I was by the cloth merchants. The choices are astonishing."

"Indeed...and this is true of nearly every stall. It's what makes shopping so interesting."

"Mm..."

Abruptly, Miroku got to his feet and suggested, "Shall we go take a closer look at the pond?"

Sango looked up him confusedly and answered, "Alright..."

They walked down to the pond and Miroku said, "Look at the fish!" pointing to the water. Sango gave him a quizzical look, wondering what the reason was for his sudden and strange behaviour, but obligingly looked down. She couldn't really any fish and only saw a rather muddled reflection of herself. And suddenly, she saw in the water, Miroku come up behind her and she felt his hands in her hair.

Their eyes met in the water and she glared at him, thinking he was just up to his usual antics. But instead of quailing or teasing further, he stood fast and she felt him adjust something in her hair. The hands that were about to slap the monk slowly made their way up to her head to feel what exactly it was that Miroku had put there.

Her fingers fumbled slightly and then caught on a foreign object. She tugged and brought it before her eyes. It was a small object that looked like a comb, but fashioned into a hair slide, made of smooth wood. It had been carved to look like a flower, with delicate curved petals, and the tinted white paint made it look surprisingly real.

She turned to him in astonishment, words escaping her.

"It reminded me of you." He said simply in reply.

"What...Houshi-sama..." Sango whispered, still not understanding.

"See," said Miroku holding the slide up. "It's a perfect Sango thing! It's so practical because it keeps one's hair out of the eyes, the wood that it is made of is strong- stronger than you'd expect by the way, and it's beautiful too. Like I said, it reminded me of you."

"When...?"

"Oh, when you were taking the tour of the market by yourself. I saw it and knew I had to buy it for you." He smiled at her fondly.

But to his dismay, Sango broke down in tears and sank to the ground.

"Sango, what's the matter? Tell me!" he urged, quickly kneeling next to her.

"My whole life, I've been a Taijiya. It's defined me. And I love it, I chose this life...but today, I saw a girl buying cloth for kimono with her mother and grandmother because she was getting married and I thought I would never get to feel that way. I never did anything like that with my mother...I'd never even been to a market until today! And I suddenly felt like all that was ahead of me was Naraku. Kohaku...I don't know what will become of him. I know it's so stupid, and so silly, but for once I wanted to feel more than a Taijiya...I-I don't know how to explain it. And then you...you take me to the market, show me around, take such good care of me, and buy me this! It's so beautiful, Houshi-sama. You make me feel like more than a Taijiya." Sango managed between sobs. The last sentence came out crumpled and muffled because she hid her face in her hands while her shoulders shook with sobs she could not explain.

Miroku felt an ache grow in him when she spoke and he immediately pulled her to his chest and held her while making soothing sounds. She rested her head against the comforting plane of his chest and she sniffled, trying to her sobs under control.

"I'm sorry, Houshi-sama." She whispered against his robes.

"Don't apologise, Sango. I will always be here for you... As for Naraku, we will defeat him. Before I met all of you, I wandered the lands, trying to get women to promise me they would bear my child because I never believed I would be able to find and destroy Naraku. But with you, I know we will. After defeating Naraku, after the kazaana is gone, we will be married. You and I have a future after Naraku. And you know all of us will do whatever it takes to save Kohaku. We'll find a way, Sango. Being a Taijiya is one part of you, Sango. We all know you're more. I know you are more than another set of hands in a battle." Miroku's voice was soothing, but it carried the fire of his conviction.

Sango looked up into his eyes with eyes blurred by tears.

Miroku looked at back at her and said, "I love you, Sango."

She smiled at him tremulously and whispered, "I love you too."

He gently rubbed the tears off her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. He then reached for the slide, still in her hands, and with it swept all the hair that had come on her face to a side. It fit neatly and held her hair in place. Once again, her fingers reached up and skimmed it. Her eyes took on a blazing look and leaned up to kiss him. Miroku met her halfway and let himself freefall into the sensation.

Sango smiled against his lips. She had found both, her new future and family. For now and in this moment, she thought, it was enough.