DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha and company.

How To Save A Life

"Miroku, you're such a pervert!"

A women yelled, while the slapped she had placed on the young man's face echoed throughout the room. The women was beautiful, her long red-black hair flowing to her waist, her mahogany eyes that sparkled with the fire that burned in her soul, her perfect heart shaped face, just everything about her radiated beauty and elegance. She was the wild horse, the bird in the sky, the one who could not be tamed. She would not submit, her pride and her longing to be free were much too powerful. She could not be simply tied down, she hated being chained so much that she would do anything to be free. Yet, even though she yearned to be free forever, one person had managed to sneak his way passed her boundaries, passed the barrier of her soul and somehow slipped into her heart.

She had not asked for this, this rope that was slowly tying itself around her, closing up any chance she had to escape into freedom. She was now compelled to stay near him, to be with him. She had found herself yearning more for the slight brush of his hand on hers more so than wanting to become that bird and fly off into the never-ending sky. She actually found herself of wanting to be his, rather than being disgusted at the idea of being owned. Loathing herself for thinking of such things, though she could not deny the feelings she held. She now thought of herself more of a silly, girlish teenager than that of a mature women. Sure, she was still at the young age of twenty-five, but she was sure a hell of a lot more sophisticated than that of someone older than she. But all that self-respect she had for herself slowly dwindled away, all because a mere guy stumbled into her life, and she had unknowingly fallen in love with him. There was no point for hating herself, she decided, for if fate was going to go against her, how could she fight it? She would willingly let herself love him, if that was what life had in store for her.

If only he wasn't so damn perverted!

The man who had managed to steal her heart now sat before her, touching the sore spot on his cheek that she had slapped, which was leaving a nasty red mark. His navy blue eyes now looked at her apologetically, knowing he had gotten what he had deserved. His black hair would've fallen in his face, had it not been tied in a small ponytail at his neck. It had always been this way, his hand wondering and her abusing him in one way or another. She wasn't like the other women, she couldn't be sucked in by a little of his charm. Maybe that was why he insisted on coming after her, to try to seduce her into bed with him. Well, that had been about a year ago, and here she was, still a virgin. What had emerged instead, was a feeling so deep that neither of them could comprehend what it meant. Love.

"It was not me, my dear Sango! My hand slipped, I swear!"

"Hell will freeze over before I believe that lie!" Sango snapped as she crossed her arms. Her friends, Inuyasha and Kagome, could only snicker. Inuyasha was a dog half-demon, one that had adorable fluffy dog ears, long silver hair that fell to his back, and amber eyes. He also had one hell of a temper, and how Kagome could deal with it, she could not imagine. She had almost the complete opposite personality than Inuyasha's. She was unbelievably kind, her blue-gray eyes and warm smile made her emit such a gentle aura, she could see the best in everything, and she didn't judge people. That was most likely why he was so drawn to her, him being scorned ever since he was born. It had taken ages upon ages to admit that he was in love with her, even though she felt the same. She was so madly in love with him that all she wanted was to make him happy, even if that he was with another women than herself. Kagome was too kind-hearted, and Sango both envied and admired her for it. She, however, went into an incredibly green state of jealously whenever Miroku was flirting with another women. Ah, the cruel twist of fate.

They were all now in Kagome's, well, now Kagome and Inuyasha's, living room. It had two couches set an angle, so that they were both facing each other and the television. Kagome and Inuyasha naturally sat in one couch, forcing her and Miroku sit in the other, making them close enough for groping distance. Once she swatted away his hand that was inching its way closer and closer to her ass for about the third time, she decided she should go home.

"I better get home. Kirara needs to be fed, and anyway, it's gotten tiresome to be on Miroku Hand Alert twenty-four seven."

Kagome giggled. "Yeah, okay see ya Sango. You still want to have that dinner we all planned?"

"Of course! I'll meet you all at that ramen shop – obviously Inuyasha's choice of course – at seven!"

Miroku got up too. "May I have the pleasure of escorting the lovely Sango back to her apartment?"

"Which is actually a code for; may I be escorted into your apartment so we can have sex? And the answer is, and will always be, no!"

"You obviously think too little of me, Sango."

"Hm, no. I don't think so."

"She has one for every line, doesn't she?" Inuyasha said none too discreetly.

"And that what makes her such a challenge," Miroku said with a grin.

"And that what makes all my a answers a big fat NO!" Sango replayed irritably while hitting him upside the head. "See ya Kagome and Inuyasha!" she said rather sweetly while going over and giving Kagome a quick hug. She then turned and headed for the door, only to be blocked by the lecher himself.

"And where's my hug?"

"Try anything and I swear I'll knock you into next Tuesday."

"Come on, just one quick one?" he whined.

"I know you're just trying for another chance to stroke my ass."

"She has you figured out, give up already, it's useless," Inuyasha bluntly cut in. Miroku sighed.

"Maybe you're right, though I will not give up!"

"Oh joy," Sango grumbled while rolling her eyes. She grabbed her coat, hat, and scarf and slipped behind Miroku and headed out the door. A burst of a chilly October wind made her regret not wearing warmer clothes. She wrapped her coat more tightly around her and briskly walked towards her apartment. The sidewalks were crowded, even for such a cold afternoon. Stopping at a 'Don't Walk' signal, she pulled her jacket closer to her body, trying to squeeze as much warmth out of it as she could. She widened her eyes in surprise when she felt another layer dropping on her shoulders.

"You should've worn a warmer coat, my dear Sango. You'll catch a cold."

She turned to see none other than Miroku, a wide grin plastered in his face. She eyed him suspiciously. So, he decided to follow me after all, huh? "Yeah, well thanks but no thanks. I'll take my chances with getting a cold."

"Let me just walk you to your apartment. Then, I'll be out of your way."

"Oh please, you're just trying to get in my pants and I know it."

"You are obviously mistaken, Sango. Just give me a chance."

"You ruined all chances with me when you went out with those other girls!" she half-yelled at him. By now the light changed to 'Walk'. She thrust his jacket backed into his arms and she all but ran across the street and on her way back to her apartment. She heard Miroku call her name but paid no heed. She swam through the crowds and finally made her way back to her home. It wasn't all that grand, but it suited her. It opened into the living room, sparsely decorated with an old rug, small coffee table, a lone love-seat, and a twenty-two inch television. She threw her keys and purse onto the table and headed to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee, in attempt to try to warm up. The kitchen was small, just barely big enough to hold a table, some counter top, a fridge, stove, and sink. She was her own dishwasher.

She leaned against the counter and heard the mew of her only company, Kirara. She came and hopped up beside Sango. The mistress of the house petted her cat absentmindedly, deep in thought as she waited for the coffee. It hurt so deeply that Miroku thought that he could go and frolic with some new half-wit girl, then go skipping back to her as if nothing had ever happened. They would never be together if he kept acting so selfishly and kept doing whatever he wanted. It had been over before it had even started. Love my ass. I thought I was above chasing after a hopeless dream. Obviously not, she thought grudgingly with a defeated sigh. The coffee was finally done. She held the cup and sipped it, the heat from the newly made coffee made her hands warm. It was bitter, but she didn't bother putting sugar or milk into it. It wasn't as if she was actually tasting her drink.

She sat down on her couch and flipped through the very limited channels she had. This was why she read so much. Reading is free, if you put the public library to good use, while paying for expensive channels that you don't even watch each month is really troublesome. She watched the local news for some time, even though news casters are the only people who tell you good evening and then tell you why it's not. Bored, she turned off her television. Great. What am I going to do for another hour? It was about six o'clock, and nothing to do but sleep. She found no harm in taking a quick catnap before she headed to the Chibi Ramen House, where they had chosen – well more like Inuyasha had – to eat. Seriously, you would think that was all the guy eats. Inuyasha's diet aside, Sango slowly closed her eyes and drifted into a light doze.

ChibiRamenHouseChibiRamenHouseChibiRamenHouseChibiRamenHouseChibiRamenHouseChibiRamenHouseChibiRamenHouseChibiRamenHouse

Sango abruptly shot up from laying down on her couch, somehow knowing that she was either late or had little time to get ready. Afraid to see what the clock said she hesitantly turned her head and looked at the time.

"Dammit! It's almost ten til seven!"

She ran over to her bedroom closet and quickly picked out something to wear. Not having enough time to thoroughly brush her hair, she simply tied it back in a low pony tail. She departed her home, and almost sprinted to the Chibi Ramen House. An ironic name, really, because the ramen bowls were big enough to feed about four people. And even though it was supposed to attract the younger crowd, it was rare that it ever succeeded. Sango was breathing laboriously when she finally reached the restaurant. She was about to head inside when she heard s a couple of girls giggling and the low murmur of a man's voice. Curious, and a sneaking suspicion growing in the pit of her stomach, Sango went to investigate. Her clenched fist started to tremble with hurt and anger, the cold suddenly not bothering her. She quickly turned on her heal and made her way home.

"Stupid Miroku..." she growled under her breath.

"Hey, Sango!"

She turned around and saw Miroku running to catch up with her. Dammit, he saw me!

"What," she spat out while glaring at him venomously. He visibly flinched at her stare.

"Um, where are you going? Aren't you going to eat at the restaurant with us?"

"I'm suddenly not hungry," she said in a low voice. That statement was of course, not true, but she could handle take-out another night.

"Can you at least stay? You don't have to eat anything!"

"Miroku. We need to talk."

"Huh? About what?"

"Just...follow me, okay?"

"Uh, sure but what about Inuyasha and Kagome? You know how impatient Inuyasha is, especially when it's about ramen."

"Then he can start without us."

He nodded, still unsure about where this was going. Sango led him to a bench around the next corner, a lot less crowded than the sidewalk they were just on.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" he said with a smile.

"Why do you flirt with other girls?"

He wasn't expecting something like that to pass her lips. "Why do I flirt? Um...I don't really know...I guess it's because I...like women?" he guessed.

"I mean, when you were first coming after me, no other girl mattered. And now, any pretty girl that happens to pass by, now suddenly I'm nonexistent. What, did you get tired of waiting to see if I might come around? You're such a pervert! Can't you ever just settle for one person instead of the whole female population?!"

"What you jealous?" He pondered for a few moments. "I guess...it's just not the same between us, Sango."

She knew that much. Except, their meanings of different weren't the same. She thought that the were slowly crossing the border into possibly more than just friends. He, obviously, saw it differently. Instead of being able to cross that border, he pictured it as a dead stop in it all. He had simply gave up trying to become more, and resorted to just waiting it out to see if she would turn back and pick him up.

"Oh." the most intelligent thing she could think of. She stood, and kept walking away from the bench, the opposite direction of the restaurant. "I have a headache. I'm going home."

"But wait, Sango!"

"If you really wanted to have me stay around, then maybe you should think before you do something. But, go ahead. Push me farther away. It's not like I wanted anything more to happen between us."

"Sango! That's not it at all! I–"

"You think that you can just go and flirt with every girl you come across, get what you want from them, and then you obviously seem to believe that you can always come back to me. Well, I'll tell you this. Either you shape up, and stop being so much of a pervert, or you say goodbye to our friendship forever!"

"Wait, you don't understand! I didn't–"

"It's too bad. You were actually starting to grow on me, Miroku," she left on that note, never once looking back as she continued down the sidewalk.

She didn't know where she was going, seeing as her apartment was in the opposite direction. She heard him call her name, but instead of going back, as soon as she turned a corner, she sprinted to Kami knows where. She blinked furiously, seeing how tears were trying to barge their way down her cheeks. She had made it about four blocks away, barely stopping in time so she wouldn't get hit by cars, before she realized that she was heading for the lower districts. This were all the thugs, prostitutes (kinda like Inuyasha's last girlfriend, Kinky-hoe –coughcough – Kikyou) and perverts who were way worse than Miroku. Okay, she could deal with Miroku, and probably with all the creepy perverts who lived down here with the karate she had learned, but at the moment, that didn't sound to appealing. So instead, she circled her way back towards the other end of town to her apartment.

ThugsProstitutesAndPervertsOhMy!ThugsProstitutesAndPervertsOhMy!ThugsProstitutesAndPervertsOhMy!ThugsProstitutesAndPervertsOhMy!

It was strange, really. Usually she would've been as mad as hell itself for what Miroku did. Instead, she found out on her way back home, that she was uncharacteristically calm. She figured that she had come to this decision a long time ago subconsciously, just never realized that even though she loved him, it was to be forever unrequited. Sure, she was sad and miserable, but she excepted her fate. She had never really been a strong believer in Fate, yet time and time again it seemed that the hands of Fate loved making her sorrowful life even more so. Her and Miroku would never be together, and even though it hurt, she had accepted it. They say that accepting was the first step to getting over someone, and that might be true for some, but not this raven haired beauty. Miroku would always be in her heart, because that is what love is; never forgetting someone you truly love, no matter how far you are apart; whether it be in feet or mind.

Fairy tales are for children, she had thought, until she had met Inuyasha and Kagome. Under the most unlikely of circumstances, they beginning off absolutely despising one another. But somehow, that hate turned into understanding, understanding into friendship, and friendship into love. That was a true fairy tale, though not either of them royalty, they both found what Kagome often said, her soul mate. Wasn't that a hard enough feat in itself? It had been them that had brought Sango to believe in fairy tales. Believe in maybe she could have an ending that finished with "...And they lived happily ever after." If only life were so simple. Her life was going to end anything but happy, she could already see that. She was always right about life and love.

If only she hadn't been right about this.

She entered her apartment, the deadened silence not unnerving her one bit. She flicked on the lights, one of the many nights only being greeted by her cat, Kirara. She was the only family she had left, and even though just looking at her brought back some horrible memories, she also supplied comfort in times of need, mostly just because she greeted her when no one else did. She closed the door behind her and bent down to stroke her demon cat lovingly. Yes, Kirara was a fire demon, two-tailed and able to transform from a little kitten to a cat the size bigger than a full grown male lion. She usually was just a kitten, curling up beside her owner in a sign of affection and knew just what to do to try to comfort her. Hey, she was a smart cat, and Sango took great pride in her. She walked over to the couch and flopped onto it, more exhausted than anything. She felt her cat jump on her back and start treading, massaging her sour shoulders trying to help her relax. Yes. Kirara could even give back massages. And she was quite good at them.

Relaxing almost completely, attempting to rid her mind blank of what had just happened that evening and not give in to the tears, she fell into slumber, however restless.

GoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKittyGoodKitty

Sango woke up with a start when a crack of thunder seemed to make her whole tiny apartment shake. The droplets were huge, and coming down hard, threatening to break the windows. A flash of lightning brightened her apartment eerily for a moment, before fading away to give way to another blast of thunder. She frowned, her brow creased in worry. Something doesn't feel right...It wasn't because she was afraid of the monsoon currently raging outside her home, on the contrary, she loved thunder and lightning storms. In an odd way, she loved the way the violent thrashings made her feel so small and insignificant. Especially afterwards how the freshness and cool way the air felt as it settled against her skin. So naturally, this wasn't what unnerved her to the very core. She glanced down at Kirara, who was curled at her side.

"Kirara?" she whispered. She didn't know why she whispered, it just seemed like she needed to. She petted her head, and poked her when she didn't get a response. Still not even getting the two-tail to budge, she began to worry. Sango flipped her over on her side, still not even getting her companion to stir. Fearing the worst, she began to panic. "Kirara? Kirara! Come on, Kirara! Wake up!" she whispered desperately. Her vision began to get blurry with tears, but she blinked them back angrily. She was comforted some when she saw her cat's chest rise up and down. She felt relieved, though not enough to not still sense that uneasy feeling that she was being watched. What's going on? Why won't she wake up?! Something's wrong...I know that much. She glanced nervously around her apartment, waiting for the next flash of lightning to brighten the room. What she saw, was the glint of steel.

Whoever was in her home, he had a knife.

GlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteelGlintOfSteel

Miroku was restless. Even Inuyasha could sense something wrong with him, though the half-demon was known for his obliviousness of the others' unhappiness – well, towards Kagome he was a little less dense – and their discomfort. It was probably because he was only giving a half-hearted attempt at winning the hearts – and the way into their bedrooms – of the young women. They had moved from the sushi bar to a nearby teahouse for dessert, another delicacy that hanyou could not live without. Miroku had given up talking to the women and went outside to be alone – a first for him – on the porch. The rain had been pouring down for a while now, not looking like it was going to let up anytime soon. The cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning were very hard to ignore as he battled to figure out Sango's strange behavior from but a few hours before.

Has my womanizing really of upset Sango that much? What did she mean that I was starting to grow on her? And why was she acting so calm? It's so unlike her, usually she would've killed me for my earlier actions. Could I have made her so upset that she had forgotten to be angry with me? Why does that women have to be complicated? Was it her complicity that caused me to fall in love with her, more than any other women? Even if I did tell her that, it's extremely doubtful that she would believe me. No, please Sango! Please believe me when I say that I love you more than I ever thought possible. I don't know how it happened, but you have grown to mean more to me than life itself. Listen to me, I'm starting to sound like Inuyasha. Well, maybe that means that me and Sango could work out. Gods, do I hope so. Now how do I apologize–

He was shook from his thoughts when he saw a figure in the sky when a strike of lightning flashed. Only, this figure was flying, and it wasn't human. It was a gigantic cat with two tails. Miroku knew exactly what – or who – it was, though he couldn't quite figure out why the demon was flying in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, or why she was falling...

"Kirara!" he shouted over the storm. Not caring that he would get soaking wet, he ran out into the pelting rain. He found her curled up out in the open, though it wasn't until he almost stepped on her did he discover her. He was already drenched to the bone when he found her crumpled form.

"Kirara? Kirara! Please, wake up Kirara!" he yelled, though his screams we carried into the wind. W-why is she out here all alone? Why won't she wake up?! Is...is Sango in some kind of trouble?! I must go find out! Hurriedly, Miroku took Kirara in his arms and raced to Sango's apartment. There was no one left out on the sidewalks in this downpour, but he took no notice. He had a one-track mind as he fought against the winds, running endlessly and desperately through the empty streets.

It seemed like he was sprinting for forever before he finally made it to Sango's apartment complex. Unfortunately, one needed a key to get in past nine, and seeing how it was almost ten, and he didn't have a key, there was no way he could get in. Not like that would stop him. He had this gut feeling that was saying that something was terribly, incredibly wrong. Mostly because Kirara had mysteriously shown up in the middle of a storm, without Sango, and collapsed. Now he wasn't even sure – not that he wanted to think about it – that she was breathing. Growing desperate, he rammed his shoulder into the glass door. He felt burning sensations erupt through his arm but he took no notice. He was dead-set on his task, and nothing was going to stop him.

On about the forth hit, the glass shattered and Miroku carefully stepped through the sharp pieces of the door still secured onto the frame. He was vaguely aware of the alarm sounding as he burst through the door that led to the stairs, still clutching Kirara to his chest. It was a good thing that Sango only lived on the second floor of this five story apartment complex. Everything was dead silent, except for his padded footsteps as he made his way to her door down the hall. The weight that had settled in the pit of his stomach grew even larger when he saw that her door was ajar. He reached a trembling hand out and lightly pushed on the only thing between himself and her. The door seemed to have a mind of its own and opened fully, letting in the whole scene to Miroku's navy-blue eyes. What he saw, was the most horrible sight that he had ever seen. He felt his heart stop, his breath hitch in his throat. The room started to spin, and his legs where shaking. He had to steady himself on the doorframe and blink a few times so he wouldn't pass out. He couldn't scream, couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

Blood.

The room was absolutely covered in it. Miroku stumbled forward, still not truly believing what he saw. It wasn't necessarily the blood that unnerved him the most, it was those lifeless eyes staring at him in the middle of it. Those eyes, now clouded over, but still one could see their true mahogany colored irises that once gazed at the world with such fire. Those which he had sought out, so that they would not look at him with hate, but with love. Pure, true love that he gazed onto her with. But now, those eyes only looked with a cold, dead, stare.

Sango's eyes.

He slowly, ever so slowly, approached the young women lying stomach down on the cold, cold floor. One that reeked with death. In a state of pure terror and shock, he fell to his knees – regardless that they splattered in blood – beside her still body. He stared at her face, her unmoving delicate face, now frozen in horror. He cautiously laid a hand on her back, only to feel the warm blood seep in between his fingers and engulf his palm. That touch seemed to knock him out of his daze and panic ran through his body. Realization struck him harder than getting hit with a train, and the impact knocked the wind out of him.

"S-Sango..." he whispered. "Sango. Sango! SANGO!" he screamed, unable to face reality. He turned her over on her back and clutched her cold body to him. "Sango...no! Please wake up Sango! No! Y-you can't...you can't d-die on me!" he stuttered. He felt his eyes mist over, but he took no notice. The women he was holding had his full attention. "Open your eyes, please Sango! Just wake up! You can't be dead! I...I promise I'll give up women forever! I'll...I'll ask you to marry me! I don't care if you say no, I'll keep on trying because...because...I l-love you Sango! I love you with all my heart! I can't live without you, Sango! You are very special to me, Sango! And all those other girls didn't mean anything to me! You are my one and only! So you can't die! I–"

"I-I...love...you too...Miroku..." a small voice said. Miroku looked up, and this time, he saw two eyes looking back at them, not just through him. She had tears pouring down her cheeks, but that didn't matter, because Miroku was crying too.

"S-Sango? Sango! I...you're still...I'm so happy!" he declared while hugging her closer and nuzzling into the top of her hair. "Sango...the cops are coming and you'll be saved and then we–"

"It's...too late...for me..."

"No! It's not too late! You can still live!"

"I'm sorry...Miroku...just know that...that I accept...your proposal."

"My..." he didn't realize what he had said, just that he had spoken from the heart, desperate for her to wake up. Well...it's not like he didn't want them to be together.

"Please...stop...crying over me...it's all my fault...anyway."

"No! It's not your fault! It's all mine because if I hadn't been flirting you'd have never left! I'm so sorry Sango! It's all my fault you're...you're..."

"Don't blame...yourself. Just once though...I couldn't handle...seeing you...with another..."

It's all my fault! I should never have...I shouldn't...dammit! Before she could speak another word, he quickly lowered himself and claimed her lips with his own. Surprised at his actions, Sango took only a moment to respond to his kiss. All too soon it was over and he pulled away.

"You are the only women for me, Sango...I love you!"

"I...love you...t-t-" she was interrupted by a sharp intake of breath, then fully collapsed in his arms. Her eyes slowly closed, and the last thing she saw was her love.

"Sango? Sango?! SANGO!" the young man yelled. He screamed at the top of his lungs, releasing all his pain and agony into one final bellow, waking the neighbors, but he didn't care. He was so overcome by grief and anxiety. He gently set her limp body back on the floor and got up, almost falling down again because his legs were like jello. Nevertheless, he made his way to her kitchen and threw open the draws blindly until he found the one with the knives it. Quickly choosing one, he grabbed it and ran back over to Sango. He kneeled back in his previous spot and fresh tears fell down his face as he poised the knife towards his gut.

"If...if you have to die, Sango, then...then I'll...we'll die together!" he declared then thrust the blade into his stomach. His innards felt as though they were on fire when he pulled the knife back out. He fell onto his, well, now late fiancé. His sight grew hazy, and he felt his limbs start to grow numb as he gazed onto her beautiful face.

"We...will always...be together...even in...the afterlife...my dear Sango...my dear...love..."

TogetherForeverTogetherForeverTogetherForeverTogetherForeverTogetherForeverTogetherForeverTogetherForeverTogetherForeverTogetherForever

The man opened his eyes, only to quickly shut them again. His limbs felt heavy, and his whole body ached so much that it was numb. His head hurt, not just in one spot but all over. Sleep felt like such a great option, and even though he figured that he should find out where he was, or even what had happened, the grogginess of sleep seemed to take over. Just as he was about to slip back into unconsciousness, something made him force his eyes back open.

"W-why's...that person crying?" he grumbled to himself. Even in his dazed state, he could tell that his voice sounded strange, like he didn't even talk at all, and that it was just a fragment of his imagination. The crying only became louder and it filled his head with a drone-like buzzing noise. The buzzing making his headache worse, he forced himself into a sitting position. The sudden exertion cause him to feel dizzy, and that soft buzzing turned into a raging hive of wasps. He didn't know how he managed to keep from passing out, but he succeeded. The man had to rest a moment before attempting to get on his knees. Not to say that that after affect was much better, if anything it was ten times worse. Still, the person – maybe a women? – kept crying, even louder than before. He looked around for her, only to see that he was in a lone pool of light and everything else around him was pitch black. He rubbed his eyes, thinking that it was the tunnel vision that was beginning to get thicker and thicker around the edges. Still, when he opened them, the same darkness showed. He surveyed his surroundings, finding that the crying appeared to be coming from behind him.

He stood up carefully, surprised that his knees didn't give out on him. He slowly turned around, fully aware that his vision started to swim. The desperate sobbing continued to grow louder. The man tried walking, but his feet felt too heavy, so it was more like scooting than walking. He couldn't tell if he was going anywhere, because the pool of light kept underneath his feet. He had no idea if he was even going the right way.

He was just about to give up when another pool of light appeared in front of him. In the center of the circle was – as he had guessed – a women. From what he could see from behind, she was extremely beautiful. She had long, waist length red-black hair, and a nice figure. She was on her knees with her head in her hands, sobbing. There was a small cat beside her, wait, a demon cat with two tails. Hold on! I know who that cat is! That's...oh no...the owner is...

"S-Sango?" he asked hesitantly. The women lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. Her mahogany eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Miroku?" she whispered. Then she spun around and got to her unsteady feet. Miroku instinctively put his arms on shoulders so she wouldn't fall. New tears began to form. "But...but I'm dead! Th-that means...oh no!" Realization dawned on her. She gripped his shirt as the salty droplets fell with renewed force. "Miroku that means..."

He finally remembered what had happened, and where he thought they were. Pulled on Sango's shoulders and wrapped his arms around her. "I...couldn't..."

"You couldn't what?" she asked quietly, though it was muffled a little by his chest.

"I couldn't bare the thought of living without you, my dear Sango."

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "W-what?!"

"You are my one and only. No other girl could take your place! I love you too much, Sango," he answered softly. She looked up into his eyes and saw no hint of lies.

"You...did that for me?!"

"I'd do it again, too, if it meant that we could be together forever."

"But...you had your whole life ahead of you! Why did you do that?!"

"I told you, my beautiful, dearest Sango. I could not bare the thought of being separated from you. I love you too much, and even though you may not believe me, I now have all eternity to prove my love for you."

"M-Miroku... I... I..."

He pulled her into his chest again. "I'd give up the world just to be near you. You are a very special women to me, Sango."

"Oh, Miroku..." she murmured. "You've already done enough..."

"No."

"Huh?"

"I haven't done nearly enough."

"You died for me...that's way more than I could ever ask you."

"I died because of love, Sango. You are the only woman for me."

Is...is this really happening?! He's not lying...if he was he wouldn't be here in the first place! "Oh...Miroku...I–"

"You don't have to say anything."

"But I...I l-love you...too..." she whispered. She felt him tighten his hold on her.

"That's good, because now we have all eternity with each other. That is...if you want to..."

"Of course I do, my fiancé."

He had almost forgotten that he had asked her to marry him before they had died. It felt weird, telling himself that they were dead when here they are, holding each other an embrace, as real as...well, nothing seemed real anymore. They were the only beings here, and even the floor seemed to have disappear and they were now floating. As long as Sango is in my arms...I couldn't ask for anything more...

"Yeah...I can't wait for forever to start, my lovely fiancé..."