sangolover4eva2004: Don't worry; things will begin to happen between them. I'm just taking it slower in this story, than I usually do. Stick with me for a little bit longer, okay?
Z.A.G: Ah, I really can't see them acting "brotherly". I don't know, something about their rivalry, I guess. Oh, and if Kagura's appearance was a surprise, just you wait. I'm planning on a couple more characters making cameos in this story!
Kiyana Va Sala: I can't say how many chapters I have for this story, because I don't know. I never really plan out how long my stories will be. So, there's no telling.
Sango fan!: Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I don't remember how long it took to finish though, sorry. Thanks for the comment though!
Big VEE: Yes, I really am neglecting the forums, and I really need to stop too. And, I know about what happened to Kagura in the series, but I couldn't help but include her; she's one of my favorite characters.
Shadow-flame131: I love the SesshoumaruKagura pairing, so I had to include it. Even if it wasn't much, thought. Hakudoushi? Hmm... I can't really figure out a way to include him in this one. But, I'll tell you what, he'd fit in perfectly for a scene I have planned for my other story, 'Ningen no Kokoro.' That reminds me... I need to update that. Oops...
To everyone else: Thanks once again for the reviews, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
AN: Just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! And, since this comes out on Christmas, here's my little Christmas present to you all. n.n Enjoy!
.:-:.
Kohaku looked back towards Sesshoumaru, Kagura, Sango, and Inuyasha, blinking slightly. Then, shaking his head, he turned back to Rin, "They're really brothers?" He asked, not really believing it just yet.
Rin nodded as she looked at Kohaku, "Yeah! Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't like being called Inuyasha's brother though. Jaken-sama told me all about it."
The young taijiya nodded slowly, still unsure about it. Well, they did look alike... a little... mostly their eyes... Still, they sure didn't act like brothers. At least, not from what he thought brothers would act like.
"Say, Kohaku?" She asked after a moment, looking over towards the adults, "Why is Inuyasha staying in you village?"
"Huh?" He glanced over to the others as well, before turning back to Rin, "Well, he's my sisters friend. Ane-ue used to travel with him and a couple others before Naraku was finally killed. A few weeks ago, while we were on an extermination, we met up with him. Ane-ue asked him to come back to the village for a while, and he's been here ever since."
She smiled, looking up into the sky, "And she doesn't mind that he's a demon?"
Kohaku shook his head, "He's only half demon, but no, none of us mind." He replied. Then, after a moment, he tilted his head to the side slightly and asked, "Why are you asking all this?"
The young girl shook her head and laughed, as she looked at him again, "No reason... They seem to like each other, though. Don't they?"
He blinked, surprised at first. Then, he laughed as well, "What makes you say that?"
"Just look at them!" She replied, giggling slightly as she pointed past Kohaku, towards the others.
The boy raised an eyebrow slightly, and then turned to see what she was talking about. What he saw, made him laugh again.
"What was that Kagura?!" Inuyasha asked, growling slightly in aggravation.
Kagura, unfazed by the hanyou's growling, put on her usual look of confidence as she smiled cunningly, "Why, I think you heard me the first time."
That only seemed to further irritate him, and he growled again, putting one hand on Tessaiga in a threatening manner, "I'm not playing around, Kagura! Now tell me what you said!"
The wind-demoness merely shrugged, turning away from him, "It's nothing worth repeating, Inuyasha dear. You shouldn't worry yourself over it."
"Why you..."
"Inuyasha, please." Sango said suddenly, moving in front of Inuyasha and placing her hands on his shoulders, not wanting the argument to escalate into something worse, "Don't let her get to you. It's not worth fighting over."
The growling ceased, though he continued to glare at Kagura, "Why don't you tell her? She's the one who started all this."
The taijiya started to say something, but before she could, Sesshoumaru interrupted her suddenly.
"Because, Inuyasha, she knows you will listen." Sesshoumaru said, his tone cool and calm, as always, as he looked back to the two.
The hanyou loosened up slightly, his gaze switching to his brother, "Oh yeah? And just how would she know that?" He asked, the angry glare becoming a look of question. Just what was Sesshoumaru getting at?
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly uninterested in explaining to Inuyasha what he should already know, "She knows, because as anyone knows, you will always listen to the one you care for."
Inuyasha made a slight choking sound and blinked, before stuttering, "J-j... Just what's that supposed to mean?!" He didn't... well, Sango didn't... just how did Sesshoumaru know that?!
And, Sango was wondering the same thing... just what did that mean? Inuyasha was a friend; a partner in battle and a companion elsewhere... But, if that were true... why was he blushing? 'Or, better yet, why am I blushing?' The taijiya wondered, as she felt the familiar heat rising to her face.
"I think you know exactly what I mean." Sesshoumaru replied, before walking towards Rin and Kohaku, who were still near Ah-Un, "Kagura, Rin, we're going."
Kagura looked over her shoulder to Sango and Inuyasha and grinned, obviously aware of their surprise to Sesshoumaru's comment, "See you later." She said, before following after the dog-demon.
Rin nodded when she heard Sesshoumaru announce they were leaving. "Bye bye, Kohaku!" She said cheerily, hugging, and surprising, the young taijiya, "I'll see you again sometime!" Then, looking back to Inuyasha and Sango, she waved to them, "Bye!"
"Hurry up, Rin." Kagura called back, stopping and turning to wait for the child.
The young girl smiled as she took Ah-Un's reins. As she led the two-headed dragon forward to catch up to Kagura and Sesshoumaru, she began to sing, "Tsuki no hikari ni michibikare, nandomo meguriau." When she reached the wind-user, she paused and turned to wave to Kohaku, Inuyasha, and Sango once more, before walking beside Kagura and continuing, "Seiza no matataki kazoe, uranau koi no yukue. Onaji kuni ni umareta no..." As the trio disappeared into the distance, the young girls voice faded into the wind, until it was gone completely.
When they were gone, Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest and snorted, "It's about time they leave. Sango, do-- what?" He asked, noticing the look she was giving him, "What is it?"
Sango blinked, then shook her head slightly, "Nothing... But... what did Sesshoumaru mean by 'you will always listen to the one you care for'?"
"Hnnn..." The hanyou glanced around nervously, trying to think of something to say, "What... makes you think I know?"
"Well, I just thought... no, never mind." She sighed, and hugged her shoulders as she turned to look over the mountain side that the village was situated on, "It was stupid, I guess."
"What was?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him, "Sango?" He tried to move so he could see her face again, but every time he moved, she turned as well.
She shook her head, continuing to face away from him, "It's nothing, Inuyasha. Could you just... leave me alone for a little while?"
"Eh..." He was quiet for a minute, as his eyes narrowed slightly, concerned. He fought the urge to just reach out to her; to try and find out what had caused her sudden change in mood... Was it what he had said? Was she upset because he had denied knowing anything about what his brother had said? 'Don't be an idiot.' He told himself, looking away, "If... that's what you want, Sango..."
Seeing her nod, he gave an almost inaudible sigh and slowly made his way to the village gates, "I'll be in the village if you need me then..."
Again, she nodded, "Thank you." She said quietly as she sank down to the ground and hugged her knees.
Kohaku blinked, cocking his head to the side as he watched the little scene between his sister and Inuyasha. That was... unexpected... "Ane-ue?" He asked, once Inuyasha had disappeared into the village.
Sango looked up and forced herself to give him a small smile, "I'm okay, Kohaku. I just want to think some things over. Why don't you go inside as well?"
He nodded slowly and took a few steps towards the gates, before stopping again and looking at her, "You're not mad at Inuyasha, are you?"
She shook her head, "No, no it's nothing like that. You don't have to worry about that."
The young taijiya smiled slightly and nodded again, "Okay, ane-ue." And with that, he went back into the village.
Once he was gone, Sango sighed as she turned her attention ahead again. She wasn't mad at Inuyasha, she knew that... But something about his comment had made her feel... disappointed. "I wish I knew what was happening..." She said quietly, looking up to the sky.
She had traveled with Inuyasha for a while, so why were things becoming different between the way they were then, and the way they were now? 'Because then we had Shippou, Kagome-chan, and Houshi-sama with us. It was never just us.' She told herself
She had always held a certain admiration for the hanyou; his determination and his sometimes overly confident attitude... But those were normal feelings to have towards a friend. At least, that's what she had thought then. Now... she wasn't so sure. Of course, then she had thought she was in love with Miroku... Maybe she had just told herself she had only admired Inuyasha... And, maybe, in reality, the feelings she had went deeper than that...
The taijiya blinked at the sudden realization, "That's why... Then... Then I..?" She stood up and turned to look at the village. Or, more specifically, in the direction of the sentry tower that Inuyasha usually stayed in, "Then I really do..."
Meanwhile, in said sentry tower, Inuyasha stared up at the sky. 'Damn it Sesshoumaru! Out of everything you could've said, you just had to say that.' Why did his brother have to come out here anyway? Why couldn't he have just sent Jaken with Rin and Ah-Un? Now, it seemed, Sango was upset with him. And all over a little comment... There were only so many things it could've meant... so why couldn't he had just said that, instead of denying he knew anything?
The hanyou shook his head, growling slightly. He didn't want to think about that now... he had to get his mind on something else...
The night of the new moon was approaching again, he realized, feeling slightly grateful that he could find another topic to occupy his mind with for a few minutes.
It was strange, he realized... every month he told himself that it would be the last time he turned human due to his human blood, and every month he was proved wrong, because he remained a hanyou, and became human on that one night.
"Inuyasha?"
The hanyou looked down from the sky suddenly, only to find Sango looking up at him from the ladder of the sentry tower, "Sango?"
"Are you okay?" She asked, climbing the rest of the way up and sitting down beside him.
He looked at her, remaining quiet for a moment, before nodding and looking away again, "For the most part..."
"I'm glad to hear that..." She trailed off for a moment, and then looked down, "I just want you to know... that I'm sorry about earlier. I just wanted to think some things over. And... and I hope you're not mad."
He blinked, glancing to her, "Why would I be mad? Actually, I thought you were mad at me."
She shook her head, smiling slightly, "I don't know, I thought you would be, I guess. But, I'm not mad." She glanced at him, before looking ahead, "So, what were you doing up here?"
"I was just thinking." He replied, flexing his claws, and putting on a small grin, "The new moon's coming up, you know."
She nodded, bringing her knees up to her chest and looking up to the sky, "I noticed... Is that all you've been thinking about up here?"
"Yeah..." He lied, looking off to the side. Well, what was he supposed to say? That he had been thinking about her? Right... "You think I'd get used to it over time, being human, I mean. But I haven't. I hate it as much as I did when I was younger."
"We all have things we can't get used to, Inuyasha." The taijiya replied, turning to look at him again, "But, ever since I first met you, you always seemed so sure that you wanted to become a full demon once you had the Shikon no Tama... Now that you do have it, why haven't you used it?" She asked. She knew she had asked once before, and he had refused to tell her. But, that was a while ago. Things had changed since then... maybe neither of them quite understood what, exactly had changed, but they both knew that something had changed...
He slowly turned to look at her, remaining quiet again, as though contemplating whether or not to say anything. Finally, with a sigh, he brought one hand up and clutched the pouch around his neck, which contained the Shikon no Tama, "I... don't know." His gaze lowered to the ground, while his clawed fingers continued to clutch at the pouch, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I want to become a demon, just like I always planned, but..."
Sango waited for a moment, and when it seemed he wasn't going to continue, she leaned slightly closer to him, "But..?" She asked softly, trying to urge him on.
His shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes, letting his arm fall back to his side, as his usual, confident exterior gave way to a rare unsure, softer look, "...Kikyou... never outright told me, but she wanted me to become a human, more than she wanted me to become a demon or stay a hanyou... Since she was a priestess, I guess it would've been accepted better if I was a human..." He trailed off for a moment; his head tilting upwards towards the sky again, "Then there was Kagome... She always said she liked me best as a hanyou. Now that I've had time to think about it, I can't help but wonder if it was just because she knew no one else would want to put up with me, if I was a hanyou... So, am I supposed to do what Kikyou wanted? Or, am I supposed to do what Kagome wanted? Or, do I just forget what both of them said, and do what I want?" He shook his head, closing his eyes once more, "Damn it, what am I supposed to do?!"
She listened quietly as he spoke. When he stopped, she merely looked straight ahead, a saddened look on her face. She couldn't think of anything to say... what could she say? He was torn between doing what he wanted, and what Kikyou and Kagome wanted him to do... She frowned slightly, thinking about that fact, as she began to feel slightly angered. Kikyou and Kagome were the two people who had claimed to care about him, and yet they had both been so selfish, that they had told him to do what they wanted, without thinking about what he wanted. 'How could they be so cruel? You wouldn't do that to someone you care for...'
"Sango?"
She blinked, coming out of her thoughts, and looked at him again, "Eh? What is it?"
Inuyasha looked at her silently for a moment, his eyes full of confusion and a hint of sadness, "What should I do?" He asked finally, his voice low, so low that she had to strain herself to hear him clearly, "I know neither one of them are here anymore, but if I do what one wanted, it feels like I'm betraying the other somehow... And if I do what I want, it feels like I'm betraying them both. So... Sango, what do you think I should do?"
The taijiya looked down, lightly biting her lower lip as she tried to think up an answer. What was she supposed to say? He had asked her opinion, but yet... it felt wrong. If she answered, wouldn't she be doing the same thing Kagome and Kikyou had?
Finally, with a sigh, she looked back to him, "I... can't answer that, Inuyasha. I'm sorry, but you're the only one who can figure it out. You shouldn't become a human, because Kikyou wanted you to... You shouldn't remain a hanyou, because Kagome-chan wanted you to... And you shouldn't become a demon, because of anything anyone's said to you. You should do whatever it is that you want to do... What you feel is the right choice for you. Don't let anything Kikyou said, or anything Kagome-chan said, or even anything I say affect that decision. But..." She trailed off, and scooted closer to him as she put her hand on his, "But, I want to you know, that whatever you finally decide to do, I'll still be here. For as long as you stay here, or for as long as you let me..." She trailed off once again, before smiling slightly and closing her eyes. She then leaned her head against his shoulder, her hand remaining on his, "I'll be with you."
He blinked once, twice, and fell into a stunned silence. After they had met up again, she had mentioned something about telling Miroku that she would stay with him, regardless of whether or not he became a demon. But... somehow, having her tell him directly made it mean more. And, in a way, her reply had helped more than if she had told him what to do with the jewel, 'Sango...' The hanyou smiled slightly, remaining still for the most part. Though, he did lean his head to the side, so it was resting against hers, which remained on his shoulder, 'Thank you, Sango.'
.:-:.
AN: Well, after twelve chapters, it's about time, ne? This, my friends, is where things will start to get interesting. That's all I can say, because I don't want to spoil anything n.n So, until next time! Ja!
Oh, one more thing! Can anyone tell me where Rin's little song came from? Here's a hint; it's the opening of an anime. Well, that really narrows it down, doesn't it? :) Good luck! (And, yes, I left it in Japanese on purpose)