A/N: Takes place sometime after he pops the infamous question...enjoy!
The late afternoon breeze tossed Sango's brownish-blackish tresses as she sat on the hill, looking over the paths that the group would be traversing the next day. Her hair was still bound in the high ponytail she wore when fighting, but she had changed into her more comfortable robes. The edge of Kaede's village hadn't seemed like a dangerous place to visit, even this close to sundown, so she had left all her gear in the older miko's hut. The taiji-ya didn't really need the gear, trained as she was. She sensed, rather than heard him as he approached,tensing for a moment, then realization came and she turned to face him.
"Do you mind?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
"Of course not, Houshi-sama," she said, smiling at him. Vaguely she wondered when it had become so easy to smile at him, honestly. A few moments ago, her mind had been troubled with dark thoughts of death and pain. Now that he was here...it wasn't easy not to think about it...but suddenly those things didn't seem so important.
Sometimes it was exactly the opposite. There was so much between them that could never be if her fears weren't dispelled. Some days just looking at him hurt, and she knew it was the same for him. Probably worse. Why did love hurt so much?
"How many children do you want, Sango?"
"Nani?"
"You know, little adults. A little bit of me, a little bit of you..." His eyes sparkled, but beneath that there was a glimmer of honest curiosity, borne of a deep love for the woman he sat next to.
"I know what you mean, but it was unexpected," she explained, eyebrows scrunching as she thought out his question. "I've never really considered it."
"You don't have to for a while," he reassured, finding her hand even as he looked off into the distance. "We haven't fought Naraku in a long time."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean we should be off guard. He could attack at any time. And I don't know. How many children do you want to have?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, barely catching the ghost of a smile.
"You know, for the longest time, all I wanted was one. Purely for the purpose of having a heir." His grin widened as he squeezed her hand. "Then I began to consider that my options might widen a bit if I waited for a little while. I like the idea of being a father."
"You'd make a wonderful father."
They shared a moment of companionable silence, unmarred by the petty concerns of daily living, simply filled with the other's presence. Miroku's eyes grew stormy as he considered what he was asking. Hesitantly, he went on.
"I...I understand that childbearing is very...painful to the mother. I wouldn't want to put her through any pain that-"
"My mother..." Miroku's eyes widened. Sango had never spoken of her mother before. He had assumed that she had some hidden hurt where she was concerned, and was eager to hear what Sango was going to say concerning her. "My mother nearly died giving birth to me. She died of complications after having Kohaku. She once told me that there was nothing better that a wife could do that could show her husband that she loved him than giving him children."
Sango looked up to face Miroku's unabashed stare, smiling gently even as her eyes danced. "So how many children did you want again?"
A/N: Okay, this was supposed to be A LOT longer than sessha left it...but then she couldn't think of dialogue after that last line and it had a good feeling...Oh well. Not my best work, but a good feeling all the same. Reveiws, flames, and comments welcome! THANKS!