Title: Life Beyond Death

Characters: Sango & Sesshomaru

Rating: T...for now

Genre: Romance/Suspense/Drama/Angst

Summary: Energy cannot be created or destroyed; only redirected. Reincarnation utilizes the energy of a soul again and again, stripping it of all but the most potent memories before placing it in a new host. But what happens when a cleaned soul is returned to its previous host? Will she be led back to the grave or will she find a life beyond death?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters therein.

Author's Notes/Warnings: I will be referring to Sango as "Moriko" since Sesshomaru does not know her name and right now, neither does she. Hope this doesn't get too confusing.

Chapter One: Sango Rising

Sesshomaru paused, his gaze falling on Tenseiga in masked confusion. The blade was rattling in its scabbard, its irregular pulses pushing at his youki. "Tenseiga," he asked, resting his hand on the hilt, "why do you cry so?" The sword calmed at his touch, but still emitted a high keen of distress.

Golden eyes scanned the area while a sharp nose cursed the falsifying rain, but still, the demon lord could not sense the source of Tenseiga's pain. Being alone, he allowed his frustration to show. "What are you asking of me?" He closed his eyes and drew the blade, feeling the probing aura peek behind the veil. Somehow, the sensation was different and again Tenseiga cried.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes, expecting to see the netherworld messengers that agitated his hated sword, but not even he could fully hide his surprise at the sight which greeted him. Beings of light filled the meadow, taking vaguely human shapes where they did not stab at his eyes. A dark woman stood among them, thin fingers coaxing a chilling tune from a flute. The lights lost their form as she played, becoming more ethereal with each note.

He felt a chill as he stared at this apparition that could not hide from Tenseiga and a pain gripped his chest when she raised pale blue eyes to him. Something was not right about this spirit. His body protested and his face pulled into a snarl as her haunting melody tugged at something deep within him, her eyes never leaving his.

She smirked.

"Do not toy with me, arrogant fool!" he raged, swinging Tenseiga in a wide arc. The blue glow that surrounded the blade raced outward, cutting through the shadowed figure. A look of shock crossed her face and the air fell quiet as she faded from existence.

Sesshomaru turned away, returning his face to its schooled expression and the now-quiet Tenseiga to its sheath. "How utterly beneath me," he intoned to the emptiness, moving to continue his journey. Once again he paused, this time to the scent and sound of turning soil. Curious, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes going wide as a slim hand erupted through the mud, gripping onto the slick earth to pull an equally slender body onto the sparse, rain-soaked grass.

The woman hunched for a moment, panting as if she had never before tasted air. Dirt coated her skin and hair, and stained her unusually fine kimono that was further ruined by the falling rain. The scent of earth was so strong around her that Sesshomaru could identify no other markers, not even the fragrance of whatever emotions she was feeling.

Finally, she raised her face away from the ground, gazing up at him with vacant eyes that held no recognition, though he knew his did. They stared at each other for a moment before he turned and walked away. His eyes slid backwards when he heard her rise and follow, falling in step behind him as naturally as Rin would. Frowning, he returned his vision to the front, willing his hand not to stray to Tokijin. It did not sit well with him, this new, unwanted gift from Tenseiga; this woman who was now trailing him like a puppy as he strode through the rain.

Inuyasha's slayer.

{Scene Break}

"Woman." Sesshomaru's eyes were hard as he turned to stare at the slayer. She still had not abandoned her pursuit of him. Her blank gaze swiveled to him.

"'Woman'; is that what I am?" Her fingers reached for her long, dirty hair, while her eyes moved slightly to stare at his own sopping tresses. "Are you a 'woman' too?"

"I most certainly am not," he bit out, his stare going colder. It was taking all of his willpower not to return her to the ground she'd crawled from. "What is your name, woman?"

She blinked, as comprehensive as a wall. "What is a name?"

A lesser being would have hid their face in their hand at that query, but Sesshomaru remained the statue he was, not believing his misfortune. "If you do not know your name, then I shall give you one. You shall respond when I speak it, do you understand?"

She nodded, tilting her head at him. Sesshomaru had his doubts. "Moriko."

Moriko brightened, looking at him expectantly. "Yes?"

"You are filthy." He did not wait to see if his words upset her, moving to continue his journey. He felt a strong desire to roll his eyes when he again heard her soft footsteps against the damp earth. How far would she follow him? And how far would he let her before he succumbed to his longing to kill her?

They had not traveled far when they were again stalled. The ground shook, splitting open as a centipede demon reared its ugly head. Sesshomaru smirked, ignoring its presence and the insult its pitiful attack carried. He would be rid of the woman sooner than he thought. He looked over his shoulder, anxious to see her look of terror. What he saw both disappointed and intrigued him.

Moriko stood in a battle stance, her eyes fierce and her face set behind its running mask of mud. Slowly, her hand rose to her shoulder, gripping the air and then she twisted, flinging her arm forward. "Hirai...ko...tsu?" She faltered and paused, staring at her empty hand. Confusion radiated off her body, distracting her of all else. She didn't even see the centipede turn and dive towards her.

It never made, a wave of blue lightning deteriorating its body into nothingness that rained down, adding to the filth that covered the woman. Calmly, Sesshomaru returned Tokijin to his obi, striding back to stare down at his unwelcome ward. "How do you remember your weapon, slayer?" he demanded, his youki pushing against her to hurry her response. The fool could not remember her own name, yet could recall being a warrior? The demon felt uneasy.

"I-I don't know," she stammered, still staring at her hand. Her brown eyes rose to meet his stare, still as unaware as ever. Silence surrounded them, and then Sesshomaru turned, his wet hair swaying.

"Follow if you so choose."

"Yes."

{Scene}

Author's Note: Yes, I did use a centipede demon, the most overused weakling demon in the Inuverse. So what? Read and review please.