Written for IYficChallege's "Lucky" theme.
Title: Alive
Words: 250
Genres: Angst, Fluff, Romance
Pairing: Sango/Miroku
Rating: PG-13/T; Character death and suicidal thoughts
Summary: Sango wonders just how lucky she really is, but she's not the only one.
＊.X.＊
When she was young, everyone told her how lucky she was to have the leader of the taijiya for a father. Because of that, she could be a warrior, and never have to worry about a marriage she didn't want. Sango was inclined to agree; she was lucky, and she was good at what she did.
When she was sixteen, Sango was given pitying looks, and told that she was one of the lucky ones. Lucky to be alive, lucky to not be in the ground with everyone else she knew and loved. Told she should be happy when her brother had a chance, and told she shouldn't be ashamed for surviving when she became the last.
Some luck. She hated the idea of dying, but hated the idea of being the last of her people just as much, so the two were even in her mind. Sometimes she almost crossed the line.
Today is different from all that, though. Sango wears a stunning kimono of red, chosen because it is the luckiest color to get married in—perfect for a naturally lucky girl like her. It's the red she adorns herself in for the hunt, the red of the blood that she's managed to keep flowing in her veins all this time. Red with hope that she won't be the last after all.
"I'm lucky," she tells the mirror.
"I'm luckier," Miroku says softly behind her. Survivor takes survivor's hand, and for the first time, they actually feel lucky.