Chapter Ten: Sango's Gift

"Do you feel completed, Sango?" Sesshomaru asked as they made their way through the forest. Sango looked up at her husband and drew in a deep breath.

"Do you love me?" Sango asked. "At all?" Sesshomaru stopped walking. Why was she doing this to him? He was a powerful demon; he didn't require love. And yet somehow he yearned for it...and not just in the physical sense. He had never imagined that this curse would bring about so much.

"Don't be ridiculous." Sesshomaru said. Somehow it didn't hurt Sango as much to hear him talk like that. Either he's lying to keep his pride, or this demonic spirit is inhibiting my emotions. Sango thought.

"How are you adjusting?" Sango frowned and looked down at her claws.

"It's unusual…especially the things I hear."

"Are you speaking of Inuyasha when you say that?" Sesshomaru asked. Sango should have known that he could hear it too.

"Yes," she admitted quietly. She looked up at him and could see him quivering with…anger?

"Do you suppose he's in love?" Sesshomaru asked. His voice was cold and demanding.

"With Kagome, yes." Sango replied, looking up at him quizzically. "Are you implying something?" Sesshomaru scoffed and focused his eyes straight ahead.

"Are you in love?" he asked finally. Sango raced ahead of him and blocked his path.

"Are you blind? You narcissist! I can't believe what a coward you are!" she shouted. "How many times do I have to say 'I love you' before you actually believe it?"

"How dare you disrespect me!" Sesshomaru snapped. Sango suddenly became infuriated. Sesshomaru watched the demonic spirit resurface in all of Sango's frustration, and he was shocked. She was so beautiful, and even as her pale face purpled with rage she had a remarkable innocence about her.

"You ignorant ass!" Sango screamed. Sesshomaru had never heard such effrontery from a woman this way. But he was so moved by her frustrations that it made his heart begin to tremor in his chest.

Sesshomaru zoomed forward and grabbed hold of Sango tightly. Sango tried to fight his grasp angrily, but he was still stronger than her. And then…Sesshomaru kissed her! It wasn't a fleeting kiss, but a passionate one that seemed to last for hours. Sango slowly melted in his arms as that small feeling that used to tease her inside began to erupt with joy. She was certain that she had never felt quite that way before. She felt so secure and protected in Sesshomaru's grasp.

Sesshomaru on the other hand could only imagine how foolish he must have looked; he knew how foolish he felt. He had sunk to the level of a filthy halfbreed. In this sense, with a weakness as powerful as Sango, Sesshomaru was almost no better than his brother. That couldn't be true, could it? He had always been stronger than Inuyasha, and he would always be so! He released Sango and looked her dead in the eyes. Even as Sango's sparkled blissfully, Sesshomaru's gaze was stern.

"I can never love you, Sango." he said. Sango waited patiently for him to finish. "But I will always care for you. If that is not acceptable, then leave."

"I won't leave." Sango said almost as soon as Sesshomaru had finished speaking. "I promised to be loyal to you, Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru looked at her strangely. He almost wanted to…to…smile.

"Inuyasha, are we really never going to see Sango again?" Shippo asked, looking up at Inuyasha from his lap. They were sitting around the fire, its soft glow illuminating the saddened faces of each one of them.

"You heard her. When we team up against Naraku, we'll see each other." Kagome replied.

"If I'm feeling bold and audacious," Inuyasha said, thinking of Sesshomaru's words earlier that day. "Then I'll sniff out her scent someday soon and we'll make a visit anyway."

"I wouldn't advise it." Miroku said.

"They aren't going to fight me if we drop by." Inuyasha protested. Miroku sighed.

"Inuyasha, is that offer still on the table?" he asked. Inuyasha frowned.

"You mean about the girls? Yeah, I guess." he replied.

"Good, because I could use some attention right now." Kagome couldn't believe her ears.

"After everything Sango told you, you haven't changed a bit!" she snapped. "All you're doing now is proving Sango's point. She's only been gone a couple of hours!"

"It doesn't matter what I say or do anymore." Miroku said defensively. "Sango is-"

"But it will be the same thing with any girl that you try to settle down with." Kagome protested.

"I'm closer to defeating Naraku. I don't need another girl." Miroku said boldly. "That's not to say that I didn't love Sango for who she was, but now that we'll never be together again, I don't see the point."

"Kagome, Miroku's right. Sango has left us for good." Inuyasha said. Unconsciously he muttered, "Even after everything I said and did-"

"What is that supposed to mean, Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded. Inuyasha jumped.

"What?"

"I knew it!" Kagome jumped up with tears in her eyes. "What happened earlier, it had nothing to do with anyone else but you! You love her, don't you?" Inuyasha didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he felt. He was completely dense to emotions like this.

"Kagome, don't overreact. Inuyasha does love Sango, but not like Miroku!" Shippo tried.

"Stay out of this!" Kagome snapped. "Inuyasha, do you or don't you?" Inuyasha hesitated.

"I-"

"You do." Kagome's lip began to quiver. "What is your problem, you sick freak?" she shouted. Inuyasha stood up and tried to approach her.

"Please, Kagome. I don't-"

"What makes you think that you can have three women all to yourself?" Kagome was enraged. "Haven't you learned anything?" Shippo jumped into Miroku's lap. The two of them had never seen Kagome this way. It was frightening.

"Inuyasha...SIT!" Kagome shouted. Inuyasha fell face-first into the grass, just barely missing the fire pit. He just lied there.

"Okay, Kagome." he mumbled. "In the morning, I'll take you home." Kagome dropped to her knees.

"So you do love her?" she pouted. "You're not even going to fight for me?"

"Right now, you're not going to listen to thing I say." Inuyasha replied. "Besides, I wouldn't know what to tell you because I don't quite understand how I feel."

"It could just be the shock from the intense moment you had earlier." Miroku said, coming to Inuyasha's defense. "Let's erase the memories with some open-minded women, eh, Inuyasha?" Kagome and Shippo frowned.

"Open-minded?" they asked together. Inuyasha finally sat up and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Don't ask." he said.

"Lady Sango!" Rin shouted blissfully. "Lord Sesshomaru! You've returned!" Sango patted Rin on the head and Sesshomaru remained as unpleasant as usual.

"Does this mean that now we can continue searching for Naraku?" Jaken asked suddenly. In a way, everyone had somewhat forgotten about their initial mission, excluding Sango's promise that they would all fight together. Sango looked up at Sesshomaru expectantly.

"Obviously, Jaken." Sesshomaru replied coldly.

Even after the romantic kiss alone Sesshomaru had remained bitter. It seemed that despite Sango's assurances he could not ignore Inuyasha's behavior. Initially it seemed just like something a half breed would do, dashing into a woman's arms to save her life. But, Inuyasha's heart had changed completely. It was a fact that try and try as he may, Sesshomaru could not ignore. The very thought made him never want to take his eyes off of Sango again.

That night Rin slept under Sango's kimono by the fire and Sesshomaru took Sango off into the forest again. There was another thing. Sesshomaru knew what it was, he was certain of that, but he wanted Sango to tell him to his face. And then he would have to figure out what to do about it.

"Well, Sango?" Sesshomaru said. He was waiting for her to confess. Sango frowned.

"What is it?" she asked. Did she think she was fooling him?

"Are you keeping something from me, Sango?" Sesshomaru demanded. Sango suddenly bit her lip.

"How could you tell?" she asked nervously. She couldn't be sure what his reaction was going to be.

"It wasn't just Inuyasha's beating heart that concerned me this afternoon." He could hear it too. Sango thought miserably.

"What are we going to do?"

"What would you like to do?" Sango hated the way he was addressing the problem as if he really wasn't. It confused and worried her.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" she whispered. Sesshomaru finally looked at her.

"Does it scare you?" he asked. Sango shrugged.

"I suppose not. You do." she replied. Sesshomaru sighed.

"Do as you wish, Sango." he started back toward camp.

"It's not a burden, you know!" Sango called.

"Of course not." he muttered. "It's just a baby."